From the Ground Up

A local program is giving students the opportunity to provide fresh food for themselves and others –– as well as the knowledge to grow it on their own.

Farm to School to Work is an organization in Greater Gainesville that allows students to learn the connection between farming, food and good health in a fun, educational and interactive environment.

“We work with local farmers within a 100-mile radius to bring fresh produce into cafeterias,” said Caron Rowe, the Farm to School supervisor.

Rowe said that during the 2020-2021 school year, the Farm to School distributed almost 60,000 pounds of fresh produce to Alachua County Public Schools. As of March of the 2022-2023 school year, the organization has distributed 70,758 pounds of produce. All of the food comes from local farms in the school district. 

Farm to School Coordinator Pamela Worsham said the ultimate purpose of the program is to provide local, fresh and sometimes organic food to the students as well as to educate them on healthy eating and expose them to new types of food.

Another way the Farm to School advances their mission is by facilitating gardens at schools for those that want to participate.

“All schools that want to participate can do so,” said Worsham.

All the food from each school’s garden goes to their own cafeteria for students to eat. During the 2020-2021 school year, the individual gardens produced almost 450 pounds of produce for their cafeterias.

School Gardens

Kimball Wiles Elementary School is one of ten schools in Alachua County that has a Farm to School to Work Garden.

“The kids absolutely love it,” said Media Specialist Devin Campbell, who heads up Wiles’ program. “Seeing a child plant something, harvest it and take it to a cafeteria is a good lesson to show them where food comes from.”

Currently, the school has eight garden beds –– three for Farm to School and five for other projects.

They grow lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and sunflowers, and have plans for more special projects.

Schools can also organize field trips to Farm to School’s facility in Gainesville. There, the organization has a demonstration garden for students and teachers to learn about the process of growing and harvesting food.

Farm to School has been in the Alachua County Public School District for about 10 years. The first coordinator was hired through a United States Department of Agriculture Planning Grant.

The organization partners with Your Choice Fresh, Growing Educational Training and the UF/IFAS Extension Family Nutrition Program.

For more information about the Alachua County Farm to School to Work program, go to https://farm2schoolalachua.com/.

by: Celia Goodyegaines