May 2015 - Farm to Cafeteria Canada

Month

May 2015

May

Halifax Hospitals Replacing Flower Beds with Vegetables

May 21, 2015F2CC adminEnglish, Farm to Healthcare, In the News, Stories from the field

Halifax hospitals will soon replace their flower beds with vegetable gardens. The edible plants will be brought to replace the flowers, shrubs and even the lawn outside ten different medical centres. Health authority staff say they’re rethinking the way they use their outdoor space. The plan is to plant everything from beets to tomatoes right...

May

It’s All About That AG

May 20, 2015F2CC adminEnglish, Farms, In the News, Stories from the field, Videos

In the US, there are 80,000 American Indian farm/ranch operators with an average age of 58. These producers are selling 3.4 billion dollars worth of raw agriculture product per year and own in excess of 96 million acres, second only to the US Government. Often overlooked is the tremendous potential of this land to create...

May

Lettuce Rejoice: Salad Bar Program Launches at St. Bonaventure’s

May 20, 2015F2CC adminEnglish, Farm to School, In the News, Stories from the field, Videos

Some parents may struggle to get kids to eat their greens, but at St. Bonaventure’s College in St. John’s students are excited about a new salad bar featuring local seasonal vegetables. Students lobbied for a wider variety of healthy options in the school’s cafeteria and applied for the Farm to Cafeteria Canada program — which they got....

May

Students Complain, Salad Bar Springs Up

May 20, 2015F2CC adminEnglish, Farm to School, In the News, Stories from the field

Thirteen year-old Sarah Lewis never liked the chicken burgers and pizza at her school’s cafeteria. Although they were cheap, they were far from nutritious and anything but local. One day, when the healthiest thing she could find was a preservative-packed Caesar salad, she realized something needed to change. “Everything I saw was unhealthy. I didn’t...

May

Farming School Grounds

May 15, 2015English, Farm to School, In the News, Stories from the field

Photo: Yun Leong Something shifted in 2010. Two cities that had been overcoming barriers to school gardens and getting local foods in classrooms now found themselves starting farms on school grounds. These farms added one more educational and food production tool to the complicated puzzle of Farm to School. Some wondered if school farms would be...

May

Oliver School Encourages ‘Young Farmers’

May 8, 2015F2CC adminEnglish, Farm to School, In the News, Stories from the field

Photo: Oliver Elementary School is turning some of its students into “young farmers” as part of the Salad Bar Program. In top photo are students getting ready to grow their gardens. In top photo from left are Matthew Hodge, Dustin Cachola, and Justin Vala. In back row are Nicholas Lang, Jasneet Sidhu, Avnit Sidhu, and Eisha...

May

Volunteers Help David Thompson School Garden Grow

May 8, 2015F2CC adminEnglish, Farm to School, In the News, Stories from the field

For the volunteers who came out April 12 to prepare the garden beds at David Thompson secondary school, it was about supporting environmental causes in any way they could. Volunteer Barbara Bradbury said there’s a huge need for individuals to help out. “The Vancouver Park Board doesn’t have enough money,” she said. “They can’t hire...

May

Horticultural Therapy Helps Young People in Vancouver

May 8, 2015F2CC adminEnglish, Farm to Healthcare, In the News, Stories from the field

Therapeutic gardens boost mental and physical health Tucked away on the campus of B.C. Children’s Hospital is an oasis of sorts. It’s a therapeutic food garden frequented by young inpatients and outpatients in programs run by B.C. Mental Health and Substance Use Services. Julia Thiessen, executive director of the Environmental Youth Alliance, gave the Georgia...