New Milford High School’s Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids Week

Photo Left to Right: State Rep. Bill Buckbee, Board of Education Chair – David Lawson, Superintendent – Kerry Parker, Director of Food and Nutrition Services Sandra Sullivan, State Department of Education Associate Education Consultant Erica Pacheco, and program coordinator at “Put Local on Your Tray” via UCONN Extension Chelsey Hahn.

New Milford – The Connecticut Farm to School Collaborative facilitated “Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids Week” at New Milford High School. State Representative Bill Buckbee (R-New Milford) participated in the program earlier this week, which is designed to raise awareness about the importance of utilizing locally grown food in area restaurants and cafes. In New Milford High School’s cafeteria, a little over a quarter of all the food offerings have been sourced by local farms.

“New Milford, again, is leading the way on an important state-wide initiative,” explained Rep. Buckbee, in regard to his visit to the high school. “A significant amount of food offered to our high schoolers comes from local farmers. It’s critical to our economy that we support programs that funnel local produce to the tables of New Milford’s eateries.”

During his visit to the high school, Rep. Buckbee had the opportunity to eat lunch in the cafeteria. In addition to eating local, he went on to meet with a panel of students to gain a better understanding of their nutritional questions and needs.

“This week’s program does a great job of highlighting the importance of buying and eating local,” said Rep. Buckbee. “But, I think there needs to be a greater discussion about why it is so important to support our local farms. New Milford’s storied history within the agricultural industry provides us with the resources to support a healthy community.”

According to Rep. Buckbee, when the students have a complete understanding of the positive impacts of supporting the local agriculture industry, then they will buy locally grown foods on a more frequent basis.

To learn more about the program itself, you can check out the CT Farm to School Collaborative on Facebook by searching: @CTFarmTosSchool.

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