What a delight it was last week to take this photo of John Simon
and Friends at Beverly J. Martin (BJM) Elementary School in Ithaca
wearing their Silk Oak Fruit & Veggie shirts for the cover of
their upcoming CD to support their innovative snack program.
It was particularly nostalgic for me as 5 of my 6 kids went
to BJM, formerly Central. I spent a lot of time there from 1977
till 1994 and the Library/Auditorium, in particular,
has to be one of the finest in our school district.
This past year, the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food,
in conjunction with the Village at Ithaca, GreenStar
Community Projects, the Park Foundation and other local
non profits funded a pilot program to introduce children in
school to fresh veggies and fruits for snacks, instead of
the usual highly processed snacks that they were used to.
For many students, these were the only fresh veggies that
they got that day. It was also an introduction to the flavor
of pure unadulterated, fresh produce. What a wonderful
opportunity to influence their lifelong food and dietary
choices!
Understandably, a program like this costs money that a
struggling NYS budget can't fund. They are still in need
of funding to finish this school year, as well as fund the
program in the fall. If you would like to make a donation,
go to http://www.healthyschoolfood.org/, click on donate
now and choose the Healthy Fruit & Vegetable Snack
Program in Ithaca. You can also contact Village at Ithaca
at http://www.villageatithaca.org/ and donate in the
name of the program.
If you still need more inspiration, take 15 minutes to watch
the video that NY Coalition for Healthy School Food
made about the program. I was touched, moved &
inspired!
http://www.healthylunches.org/video.htm
