By: Alissa Pantuosco
Alissa Pantuosco is a Farm to School Contractor at Georgia Organics.
The Farm to School Innovation Mini Grant provides Georgia public school districts with the resources and support systems they need to expand their garden and nutrition education programs. Applications for the 2024-2025 Farm to School Innovation Mini Grant are now open.
To inspire ideas, we wanted to highlight a unique project that connects students with the Georgia agriculture industry. During last year's mini-grant cycle, Dodge County decided to get creative with their project, going above and beyond to enhance local farmer connections. The project included farm field trips to six local farms with 24 middle and high school students through the Food Miles Project.
Photo credits: Alisha Hall, Dodge County School Nutrition
Behind this project is Alisha Hall, Dodge County's School Nutrition Director. With the opportunity to interview Alisha, we got an inside perspective of the relationships, benefits, and connections behind the Food Miles Project, asking questions regarding the planning and process that brought this project to life.
In 2024, where many cafeteria meals are heat-and-serve, Alisha noticed there is frequently a missed connection between students' understanding of where their food comes from and the appreciation of the hard work that goes into putting food on the table, starting with the farmers. Alisha decided to develop the Food Miles Project, which offered students an opportunity to visit local farms. These students were given behind-the-scenes tours of farm operations for them to learn about food production and careers related to agriculture and increase their exposure to locally grown commodities.
Alisha held an application process for students to apply for the program if they were interested in learning more about agriculture and farm-to-table. Twenty-four students applied and were part of the Food Miles Project - a school bus journey to local farms, experiencing how far the food travels to get to their plate
Photo credits: Alisha Hall, Dodge County School Nutrition
The farms visited were intentionally picked to include variety in agriculture, including:
A farm that specialized in hydroponic lettuce (later used in their school lunch salads)
A hatchery fish farm
A dairy farm
A blueberry farm
And fruits and vegetables farms
The students experienced firsthand the effort and detail that goes into regenerative agriculture and the benefits of local procurement in terms of nutritional quality and supporting the local economy. Alisha mentioned that after the Food Miles Project ended, she continued to see students become spokespeople for Dodge County's school lunch program, encouraging classmates to eat cafeteria meals as they continue to source local ingredients. Other benefits of the project were that students found opportunities for themselves, some even getting part-time job opportunities to work on farms!
Photo credits: Alisha Hall, Dodge County School Nutrition
If you are interested in starting your own type of Food Miles Project like Dodge County, Alisha shared advice regarding logistics and planning:
Make contacts and coordinate in advance with farmers, teachers, and parents
Start with a small group of students who are interested in agriculture
Pack a lunch for farm field trip day!
Make it fun and educational
Alisha was eager to share their proudest accomplishments to inspire other school nutrition programs. Building a community in Dodge County and surrounding counties with farmers gave them a new list of vendors to shop from, purchasing over $7,600 in food from participating farms. This not only supported local farmers but also had a positive impact on school nutrition. For example, they incorporated blueberries from Anna's Garden Blueberry Farm, encouraging students to create blueberry recipes to add to the cafeteria menu. As the farmers showed off their operations and increased exposure, they stated that seeing students motivated to learn about local farming gives them hope for the future.
Photo credits: Alisha Hall, Dodge County School Nutrition
When you have an idea that benefits the next generation, farmers, and the local community, your mini-grant project can be the perfect opportunity to go for it! Now's your chance to join the next cohort of mini-grant awardees and create memorable, impactful experiences for your students – apply now!
For more information about Dodge County School Nutrition Services, visit https://www.dodge.k12.ga.us/departments/school-nutrition. You can also follow updates from Dodge County Schools on Facebook (Dodge County Schools).
To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.