Farm to School: Reinventing the lunch line in the Boston Public Schools

Since 1991, The Food Project (TFP) has built a national model of engaging young people in personal and social change through sustainable agriculture. Each year, we work with over a hundred teens and thousands of volunteers to farm on 31 acres in Lincoln, MA and on several lots in Boston. We consider our hallmark to be our focus on identifying and transforming a new generation of leaders by placing teens in unusually responsible roles, with deeply meaningful work.

As a national leader in engaging youth in sustainable agriculture, TFP is expanding its reach in Boston to develop a more local food system. In five years TFP will increase access of locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables by 5 percent in Boston.

To meet this goal TFP is working at the institutional and community levels to increase access to locally grown foods, particularly in low-income neighborhoods in Boston.

The Boston Public Schools (BPS) Food and Nutrition Service Department services 57,800 students each day in its breakfast, lunch and after school program. 74% of students are eligible for free or reduced price meals. 46% of students are at risk of overweight or overweight.

TFP will complete a Farm-to-School Feasibility Study and provide key policy and program recommendations to the BPS, the Food and Nutrition Service Department, and the City of Boston in order to increase its procurement of locally grown foods in the BPS. This presentation will focus on the policy/program recommendations and next steps in implementation, particularly in how the community and students will be necessary partners for creating change and promoting healthy eating in schools.