Weakley County Schools Serving Local Strawberries In Grab-n-Go Lunches

Artwork by Harvest of the Month Calendar Contest Winner 2019-2020, Abigail Owens, who is a second grade student at Dresden Elementary School.

WEAKLEY COUNTY (May 6) — On Friday, each child who stopped by designated Weakley County schools to pick up their grab-n-go lunches for the weekend was treated to a pint of locally grown, fresh strawberries to go with their meals.

According to Samantha Goyret, executive director of Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network (LFN), research shows the most effective way to get kids excited about eating more fruits and vegetables is to engage them in the growing, cooking, and tasting of delicious, fresh produce. This engagement is where the Weakley County Farm to School Program is playing a large role.

By working with local farmers and distributors to purchase local foods for school meals, holding seasonal tastings, developing school gardens, and bringing in local farmers to talk about their work, the Weakley County Farm to School Program is providing fun and engaging experiences for kids which can make them far more apt to try and enjoy fresh produce again when they appear on school cafeteria menus or on their plates at home.

Using the Harvest of the Month food as a focal point, the Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network has partnered with Weakley County Schools Nutrition staff to overcome challenges faced in purchasing local foods.

“As a result of connections made through the LFN, we served a pint of locally grown strawberries to each child who picked up meals on Friday. We could hardly wait to see their smiles as they realized they got to take home delicious, fresh berries with them,” said Trista Snider, Weakley County Schools Nutrition Director.

Snider stated the Weakley County School Nutrition Department ordered 2,000 pints of strawberries from Tyler Smith at Future Visions Farms of Whitlock, located in Henry County, Tennessee. It is worth noting that Future Visions Farms won the Conservationist of the Year Award given by the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce in 2019.

“Supplying local schools has been a goal of ours for a couple of years;” said Tyler Smith, owner of Future Vision Farms, “However, we just haven’t had the capacity. As we have grown to meet the production of our larger customers we have been able to begin servicing local school systems with our produce. We look forward to working with Weakley County Schools throughout our season from now until Thanksgiving.”

Snider additionally commented, “Since the school district is serving multiple days at once, we have more flexibility on serving bulk produce items that don’t require preparation on the food service part. We are seeking local products such as cucumbers, squash, whole tomatoes, fresh corn on the cob, and packaged blueberries, which are great options to serve for school lunches now and throughout the summer feeding program.”

“The NWTN LFN is thrilled to have helped Weakley Schools connect with Future Visions Farm,” noted Ashley Kite-Rowland, LFN Co-Director. “This is especially great because strawberries are our featured local Harvest of the Month product. These strawberries will allow children across the county to get a taste of the season. Projects like this help us achieve our mission to be a catalyst and a connector of local foods in our region.”

The LFN is taking the lead role in partnership with the Weakley County School District to design and implement the Weakley County Farm to School Action Plan involving all 11 schools in the county with funding provided by the USDA. What is learned through this planning process will be utilized to develop a Farm-to-School model that can be replicated in school districts throughout our nine-county region. The Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network (LFN) is a nonprofit organization based out of Martin, Tennessee that serves as a catalyst for a thriving local food system that is accessible to all. Learn more at nwtnlfn.org/farm-to-school.

On Friday, the Weakley County School Nutrition Department surpassed 175,000 meals with an outreach to more than 2100 students.