Georgia FCCLA Chapters ParSLAY October Farm to School Month

By: Alissa Pantuosco 

Alissa Pantuosco is a Farm to School Contractor at Georgia Organics.

Each year, Georgia Organics coordinates a statewide campaign for October Farm to School Month to get kids across Georgia eating, growing, and learning about a locally grown produce item. This year we are focusing on the versatile herb, parsley!  

Georgia’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) has been a key partner in the October Farm to School Month campaign. FCCLA is a nationwide program that provides students with opportunities to expand their leadership potential and develop lifelong skills. Through this campaign, FCCLA has inspired innovative and engaging projects that ignite student’s interest in nutrition and healthy eating. 

During the Georgia FCCLA Fall Leadership Rally on October 9th and 16th, students had the opportunity to engage with other FCCLA programs through competitive culinary events, hear a motivational message, and network with schools across Georgia. Eighteen chapters submitted their parsley-themed projects, making it a challenging competition to judge, with unique projects across the board.  

Below, we highlight our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners for the Georgia Organics competition, part of FCCLA's Fall Leadership Rally. 

Pictured: Houston County High School FCCLA students

Babb FCCLA / Babb Middle School FACS  

3rd Place  

 Babb Middle School FACS students and FCCLA members kicked off this year by growing parsley in their chapter's garden bed to use in various food labs.  

In September, during Babb Middle School's curriculum night, the students used their garden grown parsley to prepare tabbouleh for parents, students, faculty, and staff members. During this event, students learned food safety, knife skills, and recipe scaling skills as they served tabbouleh to over 200 individuals!   

Taking the tabbouleh recipe to their afterschool chapter meeting, they sampled the recipe with additional students, and each participant received a copy of the recipe with information on the nutritional value of parsley to take home. The students also incorporated a cultural education component, researching and teaching about the origin of tabbouleh, learning more about this traditional salad from the Levant region. 

 Babb Middle School’s project brought parsley and tabbouleh to the community in a fun and culturally responsive way, and for that they’ve parSLAY-ed third place in the competition!  

To learn more about Babb Middle School FCCLA, follow them on Facebook (G.P. Babb Middle School) and Instagram (@babbmiddleschool). 

Houston County High School FCCLA / Early Childhood Education  

2nd Place  

Houston County High School FCCLA members visited Little Bears Preschool to teach the younger students about the health benefits of parsley and lead them in several parsley-themed activities. They created ways to make learning about parsley fun and relatable to the preschoolers by designing "ParSLAY superhero" cartoon flyers. They also shared a read-aloud video to help the preschoolers understand how herbs and vegetables are grown, and what farmers do while teaching the meaning of farm-to-table. 

 The FCCLA students made parsley crowns and prepared parsley butter with the Little Bears preschoolers for a taste test. They then asked developmentally appropriate questions to guide the preschoolers in making sensory observations regarding parsley's taste, texture, and smell! 

 For connecting with their preschool friends and engaging them in nutrition education in such engaging and creative ways, Houston County High School FCCLA parSLAY-ed second place!  

 To learn more about Houston County High School FCCLA, visit their website. 

Pictured: Students at Little Bear Preschool, provided by Houston County High School FCCLA

Ware County High School FCCLA / Culinary Arts  

1st Place  

Ware County High School culinary arts students created menus for a whole week, highlighting parsley in the meals that were served at the Gator Bistro, an on-campus restaurant they manage for teachers. Leading up to the parsley-themed week’s activities, they promoted the ParSLAY the Day campaign by making posters, trivia games, and public service announcements that informed the students and faculty about parsley's health benefits and culinary uses.  

A group of students also conducted a ParSLAY Booth in the cafeteria to educate students about the uses of parsley while sharing samples of foods containing parsley for students to try. This project fully came together by using technology at the information booths in the Bistro and the Cafeteria. A trivia Kahoot was shared via QR Code with students and faculty to test their parsley knowledge and use the data to assess the success of the ParSLAY campaign. For their innovative and comprehensive approach, Ware County High School FCCLA parSLAY-ed first place in the competition.  

To learn more about Ware County High School FCCLA, follow them on Instagram (@warecofccla).  

Pictured: Houston County High School FCCLA students

Thank you to all the GA FCCLA Chapters who participated in creating unique projects to continue to make October Farm to School Month a huge success! 

To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.   

Farm to School Innovation Spotlight: Welcome to the Food Miles Project - Connecting local farmers, students, and community in Dodge County

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.   

FAMILY FARM SHARE PROGRAM EXPANDS TO SAVANNAH

Georgia Organics and Forsyth Farmers Market Partner on Strategies to Reduce Childhood Food Insecurity 

The Savannah Family Farm Share Partners: (Back row, left to right) Director of Early Childhood Education and Care of Greenbriar Children’s Center Jennifer McMichael, Executive Director of Forsyth Farmers’ Market Dr. Deidre Grim, Food Coordinator of Greenbriar Children’s Center April Mixon, Farm Truck Manager of Forsyth Farmers’ Market Brian Heyward, Community Collaborations Coordinator of Georgia Organics Yaza Sarieh, and Community Collaborations Director of Georgia Organics Kimberly Della Donna .

(Front row, left to right) Director of Community Engagement and Market Manager of Forsyth Farmers’ Market Asia Harold, Community Collaborations Manager of Georgia Organics Kimberly Koogler, Director of Education of Forsyth Farmers’ Market Tasha Wei, and Executive Director of Greenbriar Children’s Center Gena P. Taylor.

SAVANNAH (Aug. 3, 2023) – Georgia Organics and The Forsyth Farmers Market announce the launch of Savannah Family Farm Share, a group style Community Supported Agriculture program designed to address childhood food insecurity for children ages birth to five while developing a new outlet for small scale farmers. The goals of this initiative are to expand opportunities for small scale farmers, increase access to organic and healthy food and educate families about how to prepare and enjoy a weekly bounty of fresh, local food.  

Beginning with the Greenbriar Children’s Center, Savannah Family Farm Share hopes to enroll up to 800 members this year, in a low-cost vegetable subscription program specifically designed for families with young children enrolled in Early Care and Education centers.    

The Family Farm Share Program is primarily funded by the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation and Takeda, though Georgia Organics has raised over $1.5 million to expand the program ten Georgia communities by 2025. The Savannah Family Farm Share program builds on the work of the Waycross Family Farm Share Pilot that began with a Community Transformation Grant of $75,000 from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL)  

The Savannah Family Farm Share program is one of five communities where Georgia Organics is facilitating a local collaborative, joining Head Start communities in Ware, Bacon and Pierce counties.  

The project commenced in May, and work is underway identifying local farmers for participation. Email market(at)ffm-sav(dot)org if you are a Savannah area farmer interested in working with the collaborative. In July, the collaborative began engaging farmers and early care families to discuss their needs and preferences for fresh food. Progress and stories of the pilot program will be shared at georgiaorganics.org/familyfarmshare and on Georgia Organics’ and partners’ social media. 

 “Forsyth Farmers’ Market is ecstatic to be a part of such a great program that will strengthen our local food system by financially supporting our local farmers while eliminating the barriers that make it hard for residents to access fresh local produce. Food apartheid areas are becoming more recognizable and opportunities to patronize our local farmers are limited. Thus, making the expansion of the Family Farm Share program an ideal collaboration to meet both needs.” Dr. Deidre Grim, Executive Director, Forsyth Farmers’ Market Inc. 

“What an awesome collaborative opportunity to improve the health of our community; to increase the knowledge of families about fresh food and to increase access fresh produce to families.” “Greenbriar is excited to be an active participant of this program that will yield healthy outcomes for families and children.” Gena P. Taylor, Executive Director, Greenbriar Children’s Center.  

“What I love about Family Farm Share is we’re meeting families where they’re at, within their daily routines at daycare and early care centers, while connecting small farmers to new markets close to their farms.  We hope to make Savannah a model that other communities can adapt and make their own.” Suzanne Girdner, Community Outreach Manager, Georgia Organics   

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Forsyth Farmers’ Market Inc 

Forsyth Farmers’ Market is so much more than a farmers market because they offer programming and services 7 days a week. The organization holds a weekly market in Savannah’s Forsyth Park Saturdays from 9am - 1pm. Farm Truck 912, their mobile farmers’ market makes stops throughout the community with the intention of eliminating barriers to access to fresh locally sourced produce. Forsyth Farmers’ Market accepts and double SNAP/EBT benefits at the Saturday market and on Farm Truck 912. They also offer a variety of other programming and education to build community and create a sense of place. Click here to learn more about the Forsyth Farmers Market. 

Georgia Organics celebrates National Farm to School Month: Pepper Palooza

Every year, Georgia Organics coordinates a state-wide campaign to get kids across Georgia eating, growing, and learning about a new fruit or vegetable during October Farm to School Month. The lessons, activities, resources, and workshops reach over one million students statewide through classroom, cafeteria, and community educators who sign up to participate. This year’s celebration: Pepper Palooza! Sign up for FREE to access digital resources for families and educators at bit.ly/livinlavidaokra. Click here and here to view additional free resources from Georgia Organics’ Farm to School team to engage kids with fresh food! 

ABOUT SAVANNAH FAMILY FARM SHARE PARTNERS   

About Georgia Organics 

Georgia Organics is a member-supported, non-profit organization that champions organic agriculture and healthy families by prioritizing farmer prosperity, engaging children with good food in their cafeterias and classrooms, and convening local leaders to address food access issues by making organic and local food accessible to all. The organization has been rooted in providing direct support to small and organic farmers across our state since the 1970s, before formally incorporating as a 501(c)(3) in 1997. For more information, visit georgiaorganics.org.  

About Forsyth Farmers Market 

Forsyth Farmers’ Market Inc. is Savannah's largest food and horticulture market. Each Saturday over 50 vendors offer fresh produce, pastured meats, local honey, artisan dairy and cheeses, craft breads, baked goods, and a wide variety of prepared foods. All vendors come from within a 200-mile radius of Savannah. We envision a just and equitable food system that has an interest in producing food for the health of citizens and the environment. For more information, please visit forsythfarmersmarket.com.

About Greenbriar Children’s’ Center  

Greenbriar Children’s Center is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes the healthy development of children and the strengthening of families through a multitude of services. These services include early childhood education and care; family and individual counseling and support services; an emergency shelter for children ages 11-18 and Project Safe Place. For more information, please visit www.greenbriarchildrenscenter.org or call 912-234-3431. 

Farm To ECE Success In An Urban Setting

Guest blog contributors Cherie L.B. Trice and April Mixon

Cherie L.B. Trice is the Director of Development at Greenbriar Children’s Center and has a Master of Arts and is a Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA). April Mixon is the Food Coordinator at Greenbriar Children’s Center. Both are Savannah-based.

All images courtesy of the authors.

Greenbriar Children’s Center is excited to be recognized as one of the first ECE Farmer Champions with Georgia Organics!   

In addition to other programs for children and families, Greenbriar provides two quality-rated early childhood education programs for children ages six months to five years, primarily from very low-income families.

On average, one in five people in Savannah lives below the poverty level. The number is even higher for children under the age of five. Following Federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) guidelines, Greenbriar provides breakfast, lunch, and a healthy snack for all children in our early learning programs. 

In the Spring of 2022, we launched an initiative to provide fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables to our centers via a partnership with the Forsyth Farmers Market—the largest regional market in our area. 

The team recognized that the brains and bodies of young children grow at a rapid rate. They must receive essential nutrients to support this critical time of growth to support positive health outcomes into adulthood. We know that an increased intake of fresh produce can help to reduce the risk of childhood obesity and complications that may arise later in life, including Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and stroke. Under-resourced areas, which often have reduced access to grocery stores that provide fresh produce, face a higher risk for these health risks.  

Our partnership with the farmers market allows us to purchase fresh, locally-grown (and often organic) produce every week.

To expand our knowledge around this work, we have become a member of the Georgia Farm to Early Care and Education Coalition. To date, we have participated in various programs with fellow coalition members, including Quality Care for Children (QCC) and Georgia Organics.   

We have participated in the Georgia Early Care and Education Harvest of the Month campaign and, most recently, the Georgia Organics #SpinachtoWinit campaign.  

Spinach To Win It inspired us to give our children a tasty opportunity: to grow spinach and sample the leafy green in a variety of ways. We love the spinach pizza, spinach pesto, and other offerings we created!

In October, we also offered a parent-child nutrition night, informing parents about our efforts to provide their children with fresh, locally-grown produce every week.

We must recognize that low-income families often rely on low-cost, heavily processed food to feed their families. The two meals per day provided by childcare centers may be the most complete meals that a child in an under-resourced area receives. 

These meals must be as nutrient-dense as possible to provide the healthiest beginning possible for every child. And, getting to support local farmers to achieve this important work helps us feel even more connected to our community.

Learn more about Greenbriar Children’s Center at greenbriarchildrenscenter.org.  

You can also follow them on Instagram (@greenbriarsav), Twitter (@GreenbriarCCSAV), and Facebook (@GreenbriarChildrensCenter)

Contact their Director of Development Cherie L. B. Trice at ctrice@greenbriarchildrenscenter.org. 

To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org and follow us on social media @GeorgiaOrganics. 

New Guest Post! School Garden-to-Market: Wonder Isn’t Just for Kids

By Dawn Grantham 

Dawn Grantham is a Partner in Education consultant at Columbus State University. 

Note: Because of its supportive principal, Dr. Dawn Jenkins, and its ingenuity in organizing a school garden with very little outside resources, South Columbus Elementary School (SCES) was one of two schools in Columbus, Georgia, selected to participate in a school garden-to-market initiative as part of a USDA Farm to School Grant awarded to Georgia Organics. The grant required schools to partner with a local farmer, whose charge was to guide students in the planting, growing, harvesting, marketing and selling of produce grown on the school campus.  

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead, anthropologist, recipient of the Planetary Citizen of the Year Award in 1978. 

One happy Market Day participant. Photo credit, all images: Jenna Shea Photojournalism.

We met in the school’s library. We sat in child-friendly chairs, that cut slightly across our lower backs, at child-friendly tables, where our bent knees either nudged the table underside or rested at the table edge. We talked. We planned. We brainstormed. We scheduled.  

Here, we gathered: the local farmers, the assistant principal and four classroom teachers, a supportive parent, the school district’s nutritionist, the grant representative, the local extension agent, and me. We formed the school garden-to-market committee, known as Eagles Go Green! (EGG!).  

For an hour, once a month from November 2021 to May 2022, we emphasized hands-on opportunities for students with the farmers, and we created lists of experts from the community to invite to the school to tie their knowledge of agricultural and environmental practices to curriculum state standards. In our meetings, we agreed to survey students and staff to direct our course. We reserved dates to dig, plant, harvest, play, and to celebrate.

For promotional purposes, we approved a kick-off event, video productions, scheduled photographers, and a t-shirt design. For fun, and because we valued fine arts, we outlined the integration of an art project. We met and we talked and planned and we brainstormed, and very early in our collaboration, we quickly forgot that cultivating a school garden is hard work.  

We let go, and we leaned in. We each yielded and stepped up into the ebb and flow of a collaborative process, trusting wherever it took us. Our personal visions retreated as the project took on its own life. And, whatever our initial apprehensions – perhaps, it was the time commitment, or the expansive scope of the school-to-market project, even the challenge of managing 313 students – they dissolved.  

Farmer Jenn Collins helps with a selection of seeds. Photo credit Jenna Shea Photojournalism.

Some small miracles occurred. Funding from the grant allowed the farmers to plant a campus orchard of fruit trees and bushes, an item that had been on the school’s wish list for years. In working alongside the farmers and through easy conversations and simple gardening instructions, students began talking about careers in agriculture.

Because of the students’ curiosity and willingness to participate, Assistant Principal Vicci Griffin noted that EGG! “extended the four walls of the classroom allowing a natural gradual release of learning”; Principal Dawn Jenkins shared that it “was a dream come true” because the development of EGG! brought her students and the school to a level of real-world learning.

What we all plainly saw as significant in the unfolding of the school garden-to-market experience was an element of awe not only among the students but also among the adults, who were brought back into the hold of wonder and learning. It's amazing how beautiful vegetables are when you truly see them again for the first time: color, shape, aroma, taste, texture. 

On Friday, May 13, 2022, a combined EGG! Market Day and Field Day took place at South Columbus Elementary School.

Jenna Mobley, photographer and Georgia Organics contributor, captured beautiful faces, focused efforts, and generous spirits of the market experience through her photographs.  

In collaboration with the EGG! student marketing team, coached by school paraprofessional, Jakira Palmer, Farmer Brad Barnes and Farmer Jenn Collins, the married team of Dew Point Farms, organized an attractive market display of produce from both the school’s garden and from their farm. The students made well over their monetary goal of $200. 

Across the sidewalk, art teacher Alexandra Countryman reminded students of their study of local artist, Alma Thomas, and then gave painting instructions while UGA Extension Agent, Ashley Brantley, and Jada Bone, Muscogee County School District’s nutritionist, fitted students into smocks. Shelia Brown, a master gardener volunteer, helped direct paint strokes on the two community canvases; Muscogee County School District's Content Specialist for Art Education, Dr. McCullough, offered district support. 

Principal Jenkins and 5th grade teacher Patrice Blassingame, with a bird's eye view of the field, kept the flow of shoppers, artists, spectators and athletes on schedule and in the right place. 

The SCES staff, led by their EGG! Committee colleagues, Amanda Joiner, Patrice Blassingame, and Deidre Howell, visibly supported the school garden-to-market project from beginning to end.  

And, Kimberly Della Donna and Kimberly Koogler of the Georgia Organics Farm to School program, were both on the EGG! Market Day scene to join in the celebration of farmers, young and seasoned. 

In organizing South Columbus Elementary School’s school garden-to-market experience, EGG!, it was easy to make an agenda and keep people to their speaking parts. We easily recognized that a garden’s success requires effort and time to experiment; it requires specific tools and materials and growing strategies, and it requires committed people. But, what was a little more challenging, and certainly out of any one individual’s control, was the development of synergy that came with the understanding and appreciation that the project was bigger than any one of us. Again, we learned to trust the process, and in doing so, we established an expectation, relied on the skill sets of new friends, and faced a daunting project together.  

The wonder of it all! 

Farm to School Innovation Mini-Grant Highlight: Addressing Health Equity through Farm to School Programs

By Kimberly Della Donna 

Kimberly Della Donna is the Farm to School Director at Georgia Organics   

Georgia Organics and the Georgia Department of Public Health (GA DPH) have partnered to establish the Farm to School Innovation Mini Grants Program. These funds support farm to school initiatives that:  

• Increase access to local, fresh, organically grown food,  

• Include culturally responsive food and education,  

• Increase local food procurement,  

• And/or benefit Georgia-certified organic farmers in other ways.  

To learn more about the Farm to School Innovation Mini-Grant Program click here.  

To financially support the Farm to School Innovation Mini-Grant, click here  

We are pleased to highlight Mini-Grant Awardee:

Douglas County School System (DCSS) 

DCCS Training and Development Manager Tempest Harris’ work includes championing an award-winning, district-wide farm to school program. Last summer, she created and developed the Farm to School Expo initiative with the help of internal and community stakeholders.

While DCCS had success for many years in infusing local foods in meals, promotions, and taste tests throughout the district, they recognized that not all schools in the district had comprehensive food education programs.

They developed a Farm to School Expo to address the inequity of that disparity and strengthen the farm to school program district-wide.  

Students were invited to participate in the First Farm to School Expo where they could meet various farmers from their community, learn about what they produce, explore animals, bees, butterflies, and composting, meet community partners who support agriculture education, and enjoy taste tests of traditional Ghanian foods such as Bissap, Jollof, and Kelewele. Students also received a “take-home bag" loaded with educational materials, seeds, guidance for growing foods at home, information on local farmers' markets and local farmers', and food resources. The resources empowered students to increase their knowledge of food sourcing and access points for fresh food. 

The exposure that the Expo offered administrators, staff, and students to the benefits of active farm to school programs increased interest in and demand for food and agriculture education in Douglas County Schools that currently don’t have those programs.

One attendee noted, “I would like to expose students to growing their own food. There are many agricultural paths that students can study to make our food better as well. Hopefully, students will see the importance of farming to our world.” With so many community partners and farmers involved in the event, community support seems ripe to satisfy the demand. In the words of one attendee “This was a wonderful experience for both the students and myself.”  

To learn more about Douglas County School Systems, visit dcssga.org/departments/school_nutrition  and follow them on social media  and at facebook.com/ douglascountyschools.