Kids Need to Eat...in Summer, Too

Note:  This article appeared in the August 11, 2015 edition of the News & Citizen:

     “I love my job because it gives me the room to be creative,” said Lisa Rock, Food Service Coordinator at Laraway Youth & Family Services in Johnson. “I like being able to offer students fresh food, made from scratch---a good meatloaf, a fresh garden salad.”

     There is a much more practical side to Rock’s creative feats in Laraway School’s kitchen:  over ninety percent of the children and youth served by the agency qualify for free or reduced breakfast and lunch, per federal guidelines. That is a lot of children to feed during the summer and school year.

     Located on a thirty-nine acre farmstead, Laraway staff and students cultivate gardens that produce vegetables, herbs and fruits for use in the cafeteria.

     “I have fresh parsley that is beautiful,” Rock said. “It was just picked today.” She harvests from her kitchen garden daily throughout the growing season, adding fresh basil, oregano and dill to meals.

     Beets are growing particularly well this summer with varieties including Bull’s Blood, the Italian heirloom Di Chioggia, and in a seeming nod to Laraway’s Michigan-born Executive Director, the Detroit Dark Red. Mesclun greens land on lunch plates while garlic scapes are transformed into creamy pesto for pasta.

     “I like being able to introduce kids to foods they may not have had before,” Rock said.  Quiche and jicama fall into this category.

     Engaging youth in the growing of the food served in the cafeteria is a great way to teach about self-sufficiency and healthy eating while cultivating broad palettes. Students are also learning about canning, capturing summer’s flavor for another time.

     Hunger Free Vermont states on their website that thirteen percent of all Vermont households are food insecure. Nineteen percent of Vermont children live in food insecure homes. Statistics are even more troubling for Lamoille County where an estimated one in four children experiences food insecurity.

     To counter this reality, Hunger Free Vermont supports summer food sites across Vermont, providing children in vulnerable food situations access to free, quality meals. For a listing of food sites in Vermont, visit www.hungerfreevermont.org. For more information on Laraway, visit www.laraway.org.