Help Support the Sustainable Nantucket Farm to School Program
If you are thinking of donating to the Sustainable Nantucket Farm to School Program and would like to know more, here is some great information about their many programs from the past year and a link to their 2021 fundraising campaign.
WHAT IS FARM TO SCHOOL?
Farm to School is about local food procurement for school cafeterias and maintaining school gardens for education around agriculture, food, health and nutrition.
SUSTAINABLE NANTUCKET’S FARM TO SCHOOL DURING A PANDEMIC
SUMMER CAMP
During the summer, Sustainable Nantucket partnered with the Nantucket Community School and Nantucket Boys and Girls Club to deliver limited-contact garden activities. Students were able to stay in their camp pods and visit the garden daily with new fun things to do like making lavender sachets, bug hunts and making sun prints.
CLASSROOM VISITS TO THE GARDEN
In the spring and fall of 2020, Farm to School continued to host classes ranging from Pre-K to 5th grade for visits to the garden that aligned with their curriculum, got students outside and helped foster a sense of stewardship for their garden.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN FARM TO SCHOOL NOW
HARVEST OF THE MONTH
Through the Covid Pandemic, we are continuing the Harvest of the Month program with Linda Peterson of the Nantucket Public Schools food service. Linda uses produce from Bartlett’s Farm, Moors End and even the Farm to School garden on occasion. The crops are then incorporated into a packed lunch that either gets sent home to students or eaten in the classroom. Additionally, teachers receive educational material to share with students that is related to the featured crop.
VIRTUAL FARM TO SCHOOL
Farm to School has continued delivering lessons related to nutrition and gardening online throughout the school year through video instruction and planting kits created for students. Some highlights are below.
MAKE LESS WASTE IN THE FIRST PLACE
We are currently working on a bilingual play called Make Less Waste in The First Place that encourages students to “pre-cycle” to diminish the waste they create by using sustainable packaging and environmentally friendly choices. The play will be performed virtually by fifth grade students from the Nantucket Intermediate School.
NANTUCKET PLATEFUL
We are also working with local artist, Tom Stoddart, to produce Nantucket Plateful, a bilingual book that explores the five food groups through a locally grown-Nantucket lens.
FAMILIES AND FARM TO SCHOOL
During the summer and fall of 2020, we provided opportunities for families and their pods to visit the garden with zero-contact activities and instructions waiting for them. We continue to prioritize family participation in Farm to School with our upcoming activities.
AFFORDABLE GARDENING IN SMALL SPACES
In this bilingual video pilot in collaboration with Hope Guardenier of School Sprouts in Belchertown, Massachusetts, we will teach families how to grow container gardens indoors and provide supplies for them to create their own. Look for this in early spring!
GROW IT! EAT IT!
Partnering up with Nantucket Health Imperatives, we have started workshops in both English and Spanish that teach participants how to grow their own herbs indoors and how to use them in dishes that use ingredients that can be purchased using SNAP benefits. Supplies, including the Good and Cheap cookbook, are provided for free.
All of these programs are made possible through the generous support of the Community Foundation for Nantucket, the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation, the Nantucket Garden Club and individual donors like you. All bilingual material is made possible through the translation and interpretation of Zacil Sassy Nash.