Newsrooom

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Denver Public Schools (DPS) today celebrated local Colorado farmers by highlighting Colorado products on the school menu as part of Colorado Proud School Meal Day as proclaimed by Governor Bill Ritter. DPS is promoting Colorado agriculture by purchasing Colorado melons, peaches, cucumbers, tomatoes and milk for the school lunch menu today. With the help of School Food FOCUS (www.schoolfoodfocus.org), a national initiative funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to transform food options for students in the nation’s largest school districts, DPS is beginning to purchase more Colorado grown and produced products. To educate students about agriculture, DPS Food and Nutrition Services Department is sending the Colorado Reader and farm facts booklets to elementary school students at schools across DPS.

Also at select DPS schools (Bradley, Bromwell, Brown, Cory, Eagleton, Edison, Fairmont, Lowry, Kepner, Munroe, Park Hill, Steele) community partners Slow Food Denver, Denver Urban Gardens, and Revision International will lead students in school garden tours and preparation of healthy recipes utilizing school garden produce or Colorado grown produce after the garden tours. Some of these schools will have cooking demos by local chefs in the cafeteria, or have a Colorado farmer speak about Colorado products. Some of these schools will have cooking demos by local chefs in the cafeteria, while others will feature hands-on cooking demos after the garden tours. At Kepner Middle School, John R. Stulp, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture, will be speaking to students about Colorado products and his farming experiences, and a garden tour by Eric Kornacki, Executive Director of Revision International, will connect them to a bountiful garden in their own backyard.

Leo Lesh, Director of DPS Food and Nutrition Services, acknowledges the importance of programs such as school gardens, cooking classes and nutritious school meals that expose children to healthy eating habits. “We have a responsibility to teach children about eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein sources and low-fat dairy products to support optimal health throughout their lives. We also believe it is important that children learn where their food is grown so students do not lose their connection to the land and the people who produce their food.” This is why several organizations such as Revision International, Slow Food, Denver Urban Gardens, and LiveWell Westwood have developed experiential learning programs for students to experience firsthand how food is grown, and how healthy food fuels healthy bodies for good academic performance. National efforts like School Food FOCUS are bringing attention in this state to Colorado farmers and ranchers that produce food items that provide the nutrients children and adults need to thrive. Agribusinesses contribute nearly $16 billion to the state economy annually and provide more than 105,000 jobs. With more than 30,000 farms and ranches encompassing 31 million acres, it is easy to understand the value this industry adds to Colorado (from www.colorado.gov).

Colorado Proud School Meal Day is sponsored by Colorado Proud, a program to promote local foods through the Colorado Department of Agriculture (http://www.colorado.gov/).