In Springfield, on Saturday, Nov. 5, parents, teachers, farmers, food service professionals, school administrators and anyone interested in what’s happening and what needs to happen to bring fresh local food into our own local schools will be able to participate in a Sangamon Area Farm to School Summit, to be held at the Trutter Center at Lincoln Land Community College from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The summit is presented by the Springfield Area Local Food Task Force, a group of individuals and representatives from several area organizations who have been planning this event for more than a year.
Topics that will be discussed and speakers/panel participants include:
Harvesting Local Procurement
• Lindsay Blough, Illinois State Board of Education – nutrition programs principal consultant
How Parents Can Be Drivers in Farm to School Programs
• Julia Govis
Sowing the Seeds of Change: The Link between Nutrition and Local Food
• Kemia Sarraf, M.D., M.P.H. genH founder/president, Springfield
• Leila Hosseinali, second grade teacher, Hazel Dell Elementary School
Farm to School 101
• Moderator: Kimberly Luz, education and outreach manager, St. John’s Hospital, Springfield
• Micheline Piekarski, MSM, SNS, food service director at Oak Park & River Forest High Schools
• Sandy Noel, MA, National Association for Sport and Physical Education Teacher of the Year and Illinois Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year
• Julia Govis
Growing in the School Garden
• Julie Bates, Green Center manager, Lincoln Land Community College
• Latha Pandrangi, Ph.D., genH Nutrition Action Team Leader
Jumpstarting Illinois Farm to School Efforts: What’s Next?
• Moderator: Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, extension educator, Local Food Systems and Small Farms, University of Illinois Extension
Registration for the Sangamon Area Farm To School Summit can be made by visiting the Illinois Stewardship Alliance website, www.ilstewards.org, or calling their office at 528-1563. The registration cost is $15 and includes lunch that features local foods.
