 |
June 2017
 
|
Tour de Fresh Supports FCPS Salad Bar
s
Fairfax Families Can Donate to Team
|
The Tour de Fresh
, a 275-mile, 3-day cycling event will take place in California July 25-27 with EIGHT cyclists riding for salad bars in Fairfax County Public Schools!
The event is organized by the California Giant Foundation and supports the national Salad Bars to Schools initiative which has provided salad bars to over 5,000 schools nationwide over the last six years. The Tour de Fresh has raised funds for 150 of those.
The 50 participants of the Tour de Fresh, now in its fourth year, are produce industry cycling enthusiasts, passionate about child nutrition and ensuring all students have access to fresh fruits and vegetables every day at school. Each of the 50 cyclists selects a school district to support from a "salad bar waiting list" provided by the Salad Bars to Schools
initiative. Cyclists raise funds from businesses, colleagues, family and friends and now the Fairfax community can support our eight riders through their crowdfunding
page (link to come).
"The support of events like the Tour de Fresh and Salad Bars to Schools enables us to fully realize our goal of having salad bars at every FCPS elementary school," says FCPS Nutrition Services Director Rodney Taylor, "We're very grateful to these riders, who are so passionate about getting more fresh fruits and vegetables onto our students' plates."
Take a few minutes to view the Tour de Fresh video to learn more about the event, then click to donate to our Fairfax team! Thanks to our riders:
Fairfax County Public Schools currently has 20 salad bars across the district. Of these 20, seven salad bars were funded by the Salad Bars to Schools initiative, through donations made by United Fresh Start Foundation, a founding partner of the
|
FCPS Summer BBQ - Kids Eat Free!
Meals to Begin June 26 at 20 Sites
|
Hunger doesn't take a vacation and neither does the Office of Food and Nutrition Services, FNS will be hosting the FEEDS (Food for Every Child to Eat During Summer) BBQ program at various locations across Fairfax County this summer.
This USDA-funded program is FREE to all children 18 years and under and only $2 for adults. There is no registration involved nor ID required, and everyone is welcome!
Meal service will be provided Monday to Friday from 11:30-1:00 pm starting June 26 to August 25, with no service on July 3rd and 4th. For more information on sites and hours, visit the FNS website. English and Spanish flyers are available to download.
Meals are also available at other sites throughout the county. To find a site near you Text "FOOD" to 877-877.
|
First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe Announces the Virginia Food Access Network (VFAN)
|
First Lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliff has unveiled the
Virginia Food Access Network (VFAN), an interactive tool to accelerate efforts, connect partners, and share resources to end childhood hunger in Virginia and strengthen the local food system.
"Together, with the Commonwealth Council on Bridging the Nutritional Divide, we have worked to align our efforts to increase healthy food access, eliminate child hunger, and accelerate the efforts of dedicated partners from across the state," said McAuliffe. "Through the Virginia Food Access Network, there is now unprecedented access to the data and resources stakeholders need to identify gaps and maximize impact to better serve Virginians struggling with food access and hunger."
The VFAN website, built through a collaboration of the College of William and Mary Center for Geospatial Analysis and the Commonwealth of Virginia, will be hosted by the Virginia Cooperative Extension program, and is available to the public at
|
With Appreciation: Serena Suthers
Prince William FNS Director to Retire
This month, Food and Nutrition Services Director for Prince William County Schools, Serena Suthers, is set to retire. Suthers, considered an innovator in school food, has overseen the 82,000-student system for 39 years. The school division has been recognized by School Food Focus, a national organization that ignites change in our food system by transforming the way school food is produced and purchased so that every child in the U.S. - regardless of income or race - has access to healthy school meals.
Always interested in the opinion of the student she serves, Suthers has held an annual Food Show for the last 27 years. The information gathered there, through tastings and surveys, is used to develop that year's school menus and purchasing plans. Where many school division moved to warming and serving kitchens, PWPCS has always scratch cooked meals, a fact deliciously present at a recent visit with homemade spaghetti sauce, freshly baked break and pumpkin pudding, all of which was complemented by an impressive self-select bar of salad (with homemade pomegranate dressing) and fresh fruit and vegetables. The past year's tasting menu had several dishes with spiralized vegetable noodles aimed at getting kids to increase vegetable consumption with fun and healthy foods.
RFFK wishes to extend its appreciation to Suthers for her tireless work transforming the school food landscape and serving as a model to school divisions around the country.
|
|
Lake Braddock Dish Moves One Step Closer to FCPS Menu
Last week, students from Lake Braddock who won the 2017 Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge, recreated their Chicken Shawarma for FCPS Food and Nutrition Services as part of the process for getting on to the FCPS lunch line nex
t year. FNS
will review the recipe to determine how it can most effectively be scaled up for the district with the plan to make it available in late fall.
|
|
LBSS Culinary Team Member Wins Scholarship to Study and Johnson and Wales
Congratulations Diana Camacho!
Senior Diana Camacho, a member of the Lake Braddock SS culinary team that took home the top prize at the 2017 Culinary Challenge, received the NAME Scholarship in support her move this fall to Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, NC to study Culinary Arts. Lake Braddock is Diana's base school, but she is concurrently enrolled in the culinary program at Edison HS.
Johnson & Wales offers degree programs in arts and sciences, business, culinary arts, education, nutrition, hospitality, physician assistant studies, engineering and design. Its model integrates arts and sciences and industry-focused education with work experience.
The FCPS Culinary Academies are centers located within existing high schools that offer advanced, specialized courses integrating career and academic preparation. FCPS has seven Culinary Academies.
|
|
Our Last Monthly Meeting is June 15!
Won't you join us before we take our Summer Break?
Join Real Food for Kids at our last monthly meeting of the school year to learn more about our work and explore engagement opportunities. If you are not able to attend but would like to learn more, Contact us!
June 15
Our meetings will resume in September and will be announced here.
|
|
|
College Internships with RFFK
Real Food for Kids offers internships to students interested in gaining experience in non-profit programming and operations. Our interns provide developmental assistance and support to the core programs of the organization, including program development, coordination and promotion, data management and administrative support. Our internships are an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the day-to-day workings of a non-profit; work with a dynamic, diverse and creative program team; build a professional network in the space of the school nutrition community; and contribute to the positive impact Real Food for Kids is making in the lives of our school children.
Internships for this summer are still available. Visit our website to download details and instructions on how to apply.
|
|
|
SNAP at Fairfax Farmers' Markets
The Fairfax County SNAP at Market program offers a match of up to $20 per visit to help low-income families purchase farm fresh produce. In 2016, over $20,000 in SNAP benefits were accepted, including almost $10,000 in matching dollars.
|
|
RFFK News is Taking a Break
Our newsletter will be on summer break in July and August, but will return in September right after school begins. You are always welcome to reach out to us with questions and more information at
contact@realfoodforkids.org.
Have a great summer!
|
|
School Food in Other News...
|
Real Food for Kids is committed to collaborating with school communities to elevate the quality and character of school food; develop and deliver programs that advance literacy in nutrition and health; and engage students, parents and schools in building a culture of health that spreads to their homes and communities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
