We’re sharing this information with you, even though we didn’t write it. It was provided by the Kemptville Campus. This copy was reviewed and edited by the Metroland editorial team.
The Good Food in Schools Forum was held at Kemptville Campus on Thursday, April 11. The one-day event brought together stakeholders working on school food education and programs across eastern Ontario. Participants included educators from five school boards, students, volunteers, parents and community organizations, all excited to share their passion for building healthy and positive school food environments.
The forum was organized by Foodcore Leeds Grenville Lanark, a multi-stakeholder working group committed to building healthy, sustainable and inclusive local food systems. Foodcore has created a charter and related tool kits, maintains a local food inventory and supports food events and programming in the region.
With growing understanding of the importance of food to physical, mental and emotional well-being, incorporating food literacy in schools is essential. Schools today are active in helping kids build a healthy relationship with food, understand where food comes from and how it is produced, and build their own skills in growing, preparing and serving food.
Keynote speaker Sarah Keyes from Sustain Ontario delivered a presentation about the federal government’s recent commitment to a national school food program in this year’s budget. Keyes shared the ongoing work of Canada’s largest school food network, the Coalition for Healthy School Food, in support of this achievement, and what the funding could mean for schools, students and families. She also shared Food is Science, a new module she helped created for the Ministry of Education that supports educators in teaching about food and food systems in Ontario’s science and tech curriculum.
Educators at four local schools shared their work in school gardens, greenhouses and kitchens. The Upper Canada District School Board presented UCDSB Grows, a real-world learning initiative that engages students in food production and food access at schools and in their community. Teachers shared examples of students building their own hydroponic systems to grow greens in the classroom, partnering with the food bank to encourage more donations of key items, prepping and serving meals at a community food centre, and designing computer programs to operate infrastructure in a school greenhouse.
Three high school students and their teacher, from the hospitality program at St. Luke’s Catholic High School, shared their experience working hands-on with food in class, such as making preserves from surplus produce donated by local farms. It was inspiring to hear what is already happening when teachers and students are supported to produce, process and serve food in schools.
After a delicious and fresh lunch from Catered Affairs, public health nurses from the Leeds Grenville Lanark Health Unit shared resources available to schools around food and nutrition. This was followed by an open group discussion, where participants learned from each other, shared resources and ideas and planned next steps to promote food access and literacy in schools.
Participants left feeling energized and inspired, sharing comments like, “It was great to hear what other schools are doing in this area — I had no idea” and, “I learned about some great resources and new curriculum to support my work.” Connections were made that will continue beyond this event; for example, a number of schools and volunteer-run school meal programs in one town decided to organize a meeting to share and co-ordinate their work in that community.
Organizers will continue hosting the Good Food in School Forum annually, and look forward to welcoming more educators, students and community food supporters next year. For information about upcoming community events at the Kemptville Campus, visit kemptvillecampus.ca/events.
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