National Farm to School Network

The following message was sent by dana freeman...

See below for information on how you can be a part of changing the way children eat in the US.

National Farm to School Network on the Move

The National Network has been very busy these days gearing up for the 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference: Taking Root, in Detroit, MI May 17-19, 2010. In line with the First Lady's Let's Move initiative, the Network has two great youth contests planned for the National Conference, both focused on nourishing kids and communities. The first is a national healthy cooking contest for youth, Cooking Up Change, and the second is a national video contest titled Real Food Is.

Cooking Up Change challenges teams of high school and college students to create a healthful and delicious school meal that meets the Institute of Medicine nutrition standards, incorporates a local food item, draws from ingredients commonly available to food service, and can be easily prepared in a school kitchen. Finalists will prepare their recipes in Detroit for a prestigious panel of judges. Conference participants will sample the teams' delicious creations. Submit your recipes online by March 26, 2010. For contest guidelines and information, visit www.cookingupchange.org.

For the Real Food Is video contest, students are challenged to define what real food means to them by creating a short video that completes the phrase "Real Food is..." Created by the National Farm to School Network and sponsored by the Lunch Box Project, this contest is open to K-12 and college students and runs until March 29, 2010. The winners will receive $1,000 and an all expenses paid trip to the conference to show their videos at the opening plenary. More info is available at video.farmtoschool.org

The conference website will go live shortly; and registration will open Feb. 22^nd. We hope to see you there!

And, lastly, here's a way for you to help the National Farm to School Network!

The Network has been entered into Campbells' Sunday Supper Challenge, an online voting competition. If folks vote for Diane Cu's Ginger Chicken Egg Drop Soup, the National Network will win $10-$50k. Please circulate widely and encourage your colleagues to vote for the National Network and Diane Cu's Ginger Chicken Egg Drop Soup.