An excellent article about our Farm to School program is featured in the Fall 2008 issue of GUSTO magazine. Click here for the full article.

October 2006 

Meals in the Bend-La Pine Public Schools have become fresher and closer to home since the school district developed its Farm to School program.  The district's Nutrition Services department has teamed up with farmers from the Bend Farmers Market to provide Oregon-grown, farm-fresh produce at breakfast and lunch to students. Happy Harvest Farms from Mt Angel provided watermelons, cantaloupe, blueberries, peppers, tomatoes, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and strawberries. Rick Steffen Farms from Silverton, Oregon provided watermelons and cantaloupe.  Kimberly Orchards from Kimberly, Oregon provided apples, apricots and pears.  Bill Atherton, a local Central Oregon farmer, supplied watermelons.

"When we approached the farmers two years ago and presented the concept of Farm to School, the farmers had not previously considered school districts as another market for their produce," said Katrina Wiest, Wellness Specialist for the Bend-La Pine Nutrition Services and coordinator of the district's Farm to School program. The produce is harvested on Tuesday, brought to Bend for the Market on Wednesday, and served at the schools on Thursday. 

After Jeff  Rosenblad from Happy Harvest Farms and Wiest gave this this presentation of our Farm to School program at the 2006 Oregon School Nutrition Association's annual meeting, other Oregon school districts are serving farm-fresh produce from their local farmers. Though the Bend Farmers Market has concluded for the season, the school district will continue to get vegetables from Oregon farmers until the middle of December and orchard fruit until mid-February.

Contact Wellness Expert Katrina Wiest at 541-355-1352 for further information.