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Boise, ID -- 10/09/2023 -- On Wednesday, October 11, Stacy Dean, the USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, will visit Whitney Elementary School to celebrate National School Lunch Week and Farm to School Month. The visit will highlight the important work of the food service professionals, school leaders, and local producers who grow and provide students with fresh, locally sourced foods such as bread, yogurt, milk, apples, and potatoes. National School Lunch Week is a time to celebrate and honor the professionals that provide healthy, delicious, school meals.
USDA’s Farm to School Program offers an opportunity for farmers, ranchers and producers to provide their local-grown products to schools in their area, ensuring nutritious foods are available for school lunches while also creating an economic benefit for producers and a connection with their communities. USDA’s locally tailored programs like Farm to School strengthen the food system for schools by helping to build a fair, competitive, and resilient local food chain, and expand local and regional markets.
“USDA’s school meal programs provide critical nutrition to more than 30 million children every school day, helping them thrive inside the classroom and beyond.” said Stacy Dean, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. “Farm to School activities enrich school lunch with the inclusion of local foods and agricultural education. Kids have young minds ripe for learning. If you can get them in the dirt, then bring them into the kitchen, and learn to apply what they learned outside into the meals they're preparing, that sets them up for a healthier future.”
Interested media are asked to RSVP by sending an email to FNS-WRO-PAO@USDA.GOV by Tuesday, October 10, or call Julie Yee at (415-265-4283) for more information.
What: Media Availability
Who: USDA Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean
When: Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 12 - 1 p.m.
Where: Whitney Elementary School, 1609 S. Owyhee Street
Boise, ID 83705
Deputy Under Secretary Dean’s photo and bio can be found here.
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