eval report cover.indd - New Jersey Farm to School Network Wiki

BLP-OR: BEND LA-PINE FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM, OREGONBend La-Pine School District, ORFree / reduced meal eligibility: 32.5%Total schools:32 + 3 Head start programsEnrollment: 14,685Demographics:76.3% White, 12.2% Hispanic(based on data available for thestate of Oregon public schools)Local product used in:Once a week product is served inthe cafeteria before lunch, alsoserved with breakfast, and in thesummer feeding program.Other program components:School gardens, greenhouse, cookingdemonstrations, and contests with foodLocal farmers made deliveries of fresh, localproduce once a week to all the schools inthe district 14 elementary, eight middle,seven high and alternative schools, three privateschools and three Head Start programs in 2005-06. The farmers harvested the product on Tuesdaysand brought it to the school nutrition serviceswarehouse on Wednesdays before headingoff to sell another portion of the harvest at thefarmers’ market. The food was then divided intoequal portions for each of the schools and transportedto each school where the kitchen staffcleaned, prepared, and served it to students. Inthe spring, a variety of products such as strawberries,blueberries, green beans, cucumber,cauliflower, broccoli, melons, watermelons, cantaloupe,cassava, tomatoes, peppers, celery, andcarrots were available in a school produce box.Fruit from the farmers’ market was also used inthe “breakfast in the classroom” program in seven schools. There wasn’t much wasted fromthe produce, but if there were leftovers, they were used in the after-school snack programthat fed 300 children/day or the supper program that fed 150 children/day. Any leftoversfrom the farmers’ market were also served in the cafeteria the next day.Th e school district found that the cost of fresh, local produce was not prohibitive. Theproduce purchase data available from the program was compiled by the food servicesdepartment.An extensive evaluation of the program was not carried out. Anecdotal informationwas very supportive of the program, in fact program organizers said that they couldincorporate more local produce if it was available from farmers in the vicinity.Joshi A, Kalb M, Beery M, Going Local: Paths to success for farm to school programs. Case study “Oregon: GettingFarm to School Programs Started”, December 2006.Conclusions Farm to School and Program RecommendationsProfileswww.farmtoschool.org 63