Farm-to-cafeteria bandwagon rolls on with meetings in Port Angeles, Port Townsend

Two meetings to advance the discussion started last month at the North Olympic Peninsula Farm to Cafeteria conference are scheduled this week.

In Port Angeles, a short documentary about two Washington state school districts that buy and serve local foods to students, “Stepping Up to the Plate,” will be shown Monday.

The film by Candice Cosler, which will begin at 6 p.m. at the Port Angeles Public Library, 2210 South Peabody St., will be followed by a review of highlights of the conference, said Beth Loveridge, a conference organizer and member of the Port Angeles School District’s Committee for Nutrition and Exercise.

“At 7 p.m. we will turn our attention to current and ongoing efforts to bring more fresh, wholesome food into our cafeterias,” Loveridge said.

“This ‘after-conference’ event is for anybody and everybody that wants to be informed and involved with influencing the food system on the North Olympic Peninsula.”

In Port Townsend, a panel discussion on health and economic benefits of serving locally-grown food at schools will be conducted at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Quimper Unitarian Church, 2333 San Juan Ave.

Panelists included Susan O’Brien, a family nurse practitioner and clinician at the Port Townsend High School health clinic, who will talk about how healthy diets for students affect academic success and behavior problems.

Healthy replacements

Kit Simeon, a former member of the Quilcene School Board, will tell how during her tenure, pop machines were removed from the school, chocolate milk was no longer offered with lunch, whole wheat flour replaced white flour in school baking, and brown rice replaced white rice.

Quilcene Schools reduced garbage fees by starting a recycling program, said Cosler, Jefferson County school garden coordinator.

“Kit also donated a greenhouse for the school garden and worked with kids of various garden projects,” Cosler said.

Nutrition film

Cosler was one of the organizers of the Farm to Cafeteria conference, held at the Jamestown Tribal Center in Blyn on Nov. 5, where her film “Stepping Up to the Plate,” debuted.

It will be shown again at the Port Townsend meeting, as will segments of talks given at the conference by Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky, Tricia Sexton-Kovacs, the state’s Department of Agriculture Farm to School coordinator, and Bill Evans, former superintendent of the Lopez Island School District.

Sebastian Aguilar, an organic farmer and father of three school-age children, also will be on the Port Townsend panel.

Aguilar has been hired to run a farmer training program and community-supported agriculture program on Whidbey Island, Cosler said, and is an advocate of programs that promote health and sustainability.

Hospital representative

A representative of Jefferson Healthcare hospital also may be on the panel of Port Townsend meeting.

Donations will be accepted at the Port Townsend meeting. Child care will be available. For more information, e-mail Candice Cosler at coslercs@gmail.com.

Children are welcome at the Port Angeles meeting, but space is limited.

RSVP by e-mailing farm tocafnow@yahoo.com or phoning 360-809-0027.

There will also be a presentation about Menu for the Future, a Northwest Earth Institute course starting in January in Port Angeles, which includes discussion of sustainable farming and food production.

________

Port Townsend/Jefferson County reporter-columnist Jennifer Jackson can be reached at jjackson@olypen.com.

More in News

Port Angeles teachers’ union votes to honor paraeducators’ picket line on April 8

Members of the Port Angeles Education Association voted overwhelmingly… Continue reading

Funding needed for Port Townsend homeless shelter

Operation at Legion Hall to close April 30

Port of Port Angeles renews lease for Composite Recycling Technology Center

Agreement covers 26,000 square feet at airport business park

Fire district volunteers lauded

Clallam County Fire District No. 3 recently recognized seven members… Continue reading

Clallam to continue providing deputy to Forks

Contract includes wages, mileage and maintenance reimbursement

Maintenance closes section of Olympic Discovery Trail

A portion of the Olympic Discovery Trail is closed… Continue reading

Hanna Paoluccu of Alexander, N.Y., and Rosie Berg of Nevada City, Calif., members of the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group and working with the Jefferson County Noxious Weed Board, remove poisonous hemlock weed from along the Larry Scott Trail in Port Townsend on Monday. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Poison hemlock removal in Port Townsend

Hanna Paoluccu of Alexander, N.Y., and Rosie Berg of Nevada City, Calif.,… Continue reading

YMCA to build childcare facility

$1-2M still needed for $6.7M project

Port Townsend Police Department recognizes award recipients

The Port Townsend Police Department recognized officers, employees, volunteers… Continue reading

Port Angeles High School evacuated due to bomb threat

Nothing suspicious found, principal says

A tree that has grown out of its tree box and shattered a nearby curb and sidewalk in the 100 block of North Oak Street is among those targeted for removal and replacement in downtown Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Port Angeles tree and sidewalk replacement to begin Monday

The Port Angeles downtown tree and sidewalk replacement project… Continue reading

Grant for Forks treatment plant to be discussed

The Clallam County Opportunity Fund Advisory Board will discuss… Continue reading