Charlotte’s first Farm to School program recently sprouted at Rama Road Elementary School. The program connects schools to local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, teaching students about the path from farm to fork and instilling healthy eating habits through education.

Farm to School programs are popping up all over the U.S. to bring healthy food from local farms to schoolchildren nationwide. More than 30 million children eat a school lunch five days a week, 180 days a year. If school lunch can taste great and support the local community, it is a win-win for everyone.   Program coordinator Lynn Robertson recently moved to Charlotte from California where she was engaged in the Farm to School program. A former director of school child nutrition programs, she recognized a need for the program in Charlotte. “Our goal is to facilitate the connection between sustainable farming organizations, health organizations and child nutrition programs and educators of the Charlotte area's schoolchildren,” she says.

Robertson says the unique program reduces childhood obesity, supports agriculture by providing a new direct market for local small and mitigates environmental impacts of transporting food long distance.

Farm to School is a 501(c)(3) whose partners represent a variety of state agencies, private companies, educational institutions, non-profit organizations and local farmers all dedicated to the mission of creating and sustaining gardens, supporting the local farming economy and providing education opportunities that will last a lifetime to every willing school.   For more information about the recently launched CharMeck Farm to School email [email protected] or call 704-900-6379. Visit www.farmtoschool.org for more program information.