Oakland Fresh coordinator Christine Cherdboonmuang (center) with program volunteers.
Regular readers of this blog know I’ve written a number of posts on school food in Berkeley.
Now comes news about that town’s near neighbor, Oakland, which has been rolling out an innovative program to ensure that students and their families have access to healthy food.
Photo: Courtesy of the Oakland Unified School District
The Oakland Fresh School Produce Markets, a partnership between the Nutrition Services Department of Oakland Unified School District and the nonprofit East Bay Asian Youth Center, offers fresh, local fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, honey, grains, beans, and other whole foods sold at affordable prices in weekly markets at 12 elementary schools.
Another 13 schools are scheduled to begin the program next school year. Oakland Fresh may well provide a model for other school districts across the country.
Read the whole story in the current issue of Edible East Bay.
You might also like:
School Produce Stand Feeds Families in Oakland
Berkeley’s School Lunch Program Flawed, Say Insiders
Berkeley’s School Lunch Makes its Big Screen Debut
New School Food Study: Victory for Alice Waters
Feed a Family, Fund a Farmer, Support a School
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
What an ingenious idea! So the kids get to buy stuff & take home, or are parents invited? Or am I completely misunderstanding how this works?
debbie koenig´s last [type] ..I Bribed—Excuse Me- Encouraged Via the Promise of Reward—My Child to Eat Vegetables
Both. The market is set up in time for after-school traffic — kids, parents, community members — which makes total sense. You grab your kid/s and you pick up produce for dinner. They host cooking demos, hand out recipes, and offer taste tests too.
You can read all the details in the full article.
I love that idea! This makes healthy food totally accessible, at least for parents who can get to the school during sale hours.
NoPotCooking´s last [type] ..March Must Be No Pot Month
Agreed, NPC. But as you point out, there’s still a large group of working parents who can’t make school pick up. At least their kids are getting exposure to the bounty of the market.
What a great idea and a great way to get kids engaged with fresh food.
Jane Boursaw´s last [type] ..65 Movies I’m Looking Forward to in 2011
Agreed, Jane. And relatively simple too.
Exciting idea. At least kids know what fresh produce looks like!
Melanie @ Frugal Kiwi´s last [type] ..Bee’s Knees Honey and Beeswax
And tastes like too: Since the markets do cooking demos and taste tests as well.
What a fabulous way to not only get kids involved in healthy foods, but to give them an opportunity to bring some home with them too.
Bringing produce — and recipes home — is key to bringing about change in a family’s kitchen, don’t you think, Sheryl?
So glad to learn that Oakland is getting on board! My aunt and uncle live there, though their kids are no longer school age.
And it’s a large school district, Jen, so it make take time but Oakland schools are certainly taking steps in the right direction.
As a nutritionist and former teacher, I know that when kids and parents have easy access to fresh produce as well as recipes that provide creative dinner solutions using fruits and vegetables, they’re more likely to eat healthfully. great post.
Thanks, Jeanine, and I think you’re absolutely right.
This is such a great idea. It always seems like I’m running to the store right before I pick up my kids, but to have it all right there–that would be so convenient.
Yes, convenient and captive audience — perfect for a produce market.
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