This year, the Ithaca Waldorf School (IWS) launched a new program focused on providing healthy, locally-sourced meals to the school community. Similar programs, focusing on child nutrition and agricultural education, are spreading locally and nationally.
The new Farm-to-Table lunch program launched on Sept. 8. Under the program, students are served plant-forward meals with dairy and meat options on the side. Meals are also served alongside a salad bar featuring seasonal vegetables, with simple and nutritious desserts like fresh fruit. The program is led by Melissa Hoffman, a chef with 30 years of culinary experience and training in Macrobiotic cooking and herbal nutrition. Students at IWS in grades 1-8 will plant, tend and harvest vegetables on the school’s farm through the Farm and Land Stewardship program. The harvest will then be served as a part of the school meals.
IWS Farm Teacher Melanie Ryan said the program brings the teaching full circle. “When students dig potatoes from the soil or pick beans off the vine, and then see them appear in lunch the next day, they connect in a direct and meaningful way to the cycle of food and farming’” Ryan said in a press release. “It’s an experience that stays with them.”
Farm-to-table lunch programs have taken root in schools across the region. Tompkins Seneca Tioga BOCES operates a Farm to School program which encourages students to participate in school meal preparation and connects schools in the area to the local food system. “Through Wellness focused institutional guidance, humans can become healthier and are more likely to succeed in their personal, professional, and educational efforts,” the program’s mission statement reads. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farm to school programs serve healthy meals which help improve child nutrition, provide agricultural education opportunities and encourage students to establish positive relationships with food. According to the USDA’s 2023 Farm to School Census, there was a 61% increase in consumption of fruits and vegetables in meals for schools with farm to school programs, encouraging students to consume healthier foods.
IWS said the school has begun partnering with local farms to source local produce for the school meals. “We want our students to understand where their food comes from and to experience the difference that local, seasonal produce makes, both in flavor and in health,” said Laura Hayes, School Director. “By partnering with local farmers and cultivating food on our own land, we’re not only providing excellent meals but also teaching children about sustainability, community, and care for the earth.” According to the release, the program reflects IWS’ broader mission to integrate academics with practical life skills, creativity and environmental stewardship. “This is about more than lunch,” Hayes said. “It’s about raising a generation that values health, community, and the earth that sustains us.”
Maddy Vogel is the managing editor of the Ithaca Times. More ...
The new Farm-to-Table lunch program launched on Sept. 8. Under the program, students are served plant-forward meals with dairy and meat options on the side. Meals are also served alongside a salad bar featuring seasonal vegetables, with simple and nutritious desserts like fresh fruit. The program is led by Melissa Hoffman, a chef with 30 years of culinary experience and training in Macrobiotic cooking and herbal nutrition. Students at IWS in grades 1-8 will plant, tend and harvest vegetables on the school’s farm through the Farm and Land Stewardship program. The harvest will then be served as a part of the school meals.
IWS Farm Teacher Melanie Ryan said the program brings the teaching full circle. “When students dig potatoes from the soil or pick beans off the vine, and then see them appear in lunch the next day, they connect in a direct and meaningful way to the cycle of food and farming’” Ryan said in a press release. “It’s an experience that stays with them.”
Farm-to-table lunch programs have taken root in schools across the region. Tompkins Seneca Tioga BOCES operates a Farm to School program which encourages students to participate in school meal preparation and connects schools in the area to the local food system. “Through Wellness focused institutional guidance, humans can become healthier and are more likely to succeed in their personal, professional, and educational efforts,” the program’s mission statement reads. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farm to school programs serve healthy meals which help improve child nutrition, provide agricultural education opportunities and encourage students to establish positive relationships with food. According to the USDA’s 2023 Farm to School Census, there was a 61% increase in consumption of fruits and vegetables in meals for schools with farm to school programs, encouraging students to consume healthier foods.
IWS said the school has begun partnering with local farms to source local produce for the school meals. “We want our students to understand where their food comes from and to experience the difference that local, seasonal produce makes, both in flavor and in health,” said Laura Hayes, School Director. “By partnering with local farmers and cultivating food on our own land, we’re not only providing excellent meals but also teaching children about sustainability, community, and care for the earth.” According to the release, the program reflects IWS’ broader mission to integrate academics with practical life skills, creativity and environmental stewardship. “This is about more than lunch,” Hayes said. “It’s about raising a generation that values health, community, and the earth that sustains us.”
Maddy Vogel is the managing editor of the Ithaca Times. More ...
