From Pitney Meadows to School
WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY MEGIN POTTER UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
F
ood stirs up our passions. The senses react to the rainbow of colors, textures, tastes, and sounds of eating.
It may not seem it at times, but instinctually, even kids know this about their food. Before they learn about the body’s functions in the classroom, they are feeling how food affects them in the cafeteria. “SCHOOL AND THE GROWING SEASON DON’T COINCIDE” Now, school lunches will be having more local vegetables longer past the growing season. This year, the Saratoga Springs City School District School cafeteria is reinvigorating students’ dining experiences, thanks to a two-year Farm-to-School grant from the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets and Cornell Cooperative Extension. One of 18 similar projects throughout the state, the grant provides funding for students to connect with the neighboring Pitney Meadows Community Farm – for food, farm experiences, and agricultural curriculum. It also funds the farm’s ability to feed them. A GROWING RESPONSIBILITY Food insecurity is a real issue in Saratoga Springs. Low income families account for more than a third of the city school district students, said Brooke McConnell, Communications & Development Consultant for Pitney Meadows Community Farm. Pitney Meadows has already been providing produce to the Franklin Community Center and now has the added goal of delivering 250 lbs. of food weekly to area restaurants and schools. For some, school lunch is their only chance at a healthy meal during the day.
saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com FALL 2019 | SARATOGA FAMILY | 33