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It is time! After taking a pause in the last year as the pandemic had us all facing unknown challenges and pushing us in ways we could not imagine, we are back with a new Local Tray Pledge to renew and guide our commitments to bringing local agricultural products to our school and ECE communities.

In this Newsletter:

  • Sign Up for SY 21-22
  • The Great Smoothie Slurp - Materials!
  • It is School Lunch Hero Day May 7th
  • Updates, News and More!
CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE SIGN-UP FORM & PLEDGE

It's time to Join!  When you make a commitment to be a Put Local on Your Tray District you join a community that increases the power and potential to make farm to school more accessible and impactful.

Tray Districts receive:

  • Free materials to share with your students that celebrate your local procurement efforts. These include, stickers, colorful pencils, posters, activity booklets and more!
  • Assistance finding local farms though our Farm to School Directory, F2S marketplace listerv, updates from our online ordering hubs and individualized support.
  • Shared resources and tools, news and events to inform and support your efforts.
The Sign-up form and Pledge takes about 10-15 minutes and is designed for Food Service Directors to set goals for increasing local procurement. If you are not a FSD and would like your district to participate please share this opportunity with them and reach out how we can help to bring them on board!
 
Check it out and shape the farm to school program
you want to cultivate!
For the Smoothies Slurp!
Interested in Local Yogurt? Having trouble sourcing spring greens? 
Check out our On-line ordering partners to easily search for local product.
Healthy Planeat - Yogurt in larger quantities more convenient for schools
The NW CT Food Hub - Lots of spring greens, delivery across the state.
Order Your Free Materials! Source Local Dairy, Berry & Greens!
Put Local on Your Tray knows that nutritious meals at school are an essential part of the school day and the staff of the District’s school meals and nutrition department are committed to providing healthful, nutritious meals to the District’s children! The people who prepare and serve school meals help nurture our children through their daily interaction and support. We express our deep appreciation to these valuable employees and recognizes their vital  role in our schools!

Check out the School Nutrition Association website for more information and fun graphics and activities on School Lunch Hero Day!
News, Resources &   
Partner Events
The CT Farm to School Collaborative's second annual Summit was a success! Special thank you's to Ailish Dennigan, for her timeless art piece, to our consultant, Farron Harvey from Farron's View, for taking us through a  mapping activity, where all weighed in on the future structure and priorities of the CT Farm to School Collaborative and to our powerful keynote speaker, Krystal Oriadha's necessary, and challenging speech on racial equity in Farm to School. Over 100 people registered! Reach to Program Coordinator Nyree Hodges nyree.hodges@uconn.edu for information accessing the workshops and keynote!
Workshop:
Farm to School Basics
This training provides an overview of the USDA Farm to School (F2S) Program. The training will cover the Who, What, When, and How of Farm to School when choosing to implement a first-time program. The format is a recorded video, and it is free to sign up to view the content. See more.

National Legislation:
Kids Eat Local Act Introduced in US Senate & House
The Kids Eat Local Act, would help break down barriers between school food purchasers and family farmers and food producers by simplifying local purchasing guidelines for school meal programs. Read more. 
Farm to School Act of 2021 Supports Child Nutrition & Farmers
The measures included in the Farm to School Act will give them much-needed resources to continue their work as we emerge from the pandemic, while helping our country build a more resilient and equitable food system,” said Karen Spangler, Policy Director with National Farm to School Network. Read more.

In the News:
Black-owned school-lunch business moving to Philly area to create ‘culturally relevant’ meals for kids
Promising to cook “culturally relevant” meals with Black and brown kids in mind, a Black-owned school-food management company based in Harlem will be creating a hub in the Philadelphia region to serve local schools. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
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Put Local on Your Tray · Tolland County Extension Center · 24 Hyde Ave. · Vernon, Ct 06066 · USA

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