Farm to School – Summer Success
Summary
In November 2015, Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) received a competitive Farm to School Planning Grant from the
United States Department of Agriculture. This award continues to support our school district in creating a comprehensive
strategy for local food purchasing, school gardens, and experiential education.
Challenge
Summer break is a challenging time for Farm to School efforts. Without partnerships and a plan for summer care, the
gardens that were planted by teachers and students during the school year often struggle to survive the summer months. On
the procurement side, it is also difficult to plan for integrating local produce into summer meals due to factors such as
unpredictable weather and supply, as well as the higher cost of local products compared to wholesale prices.
Strategies
Through our Farm to School Planning efforts, we convened food service stakeholders to develop a plan for including tastetesting of local produce at summer meal sites. This included surveying local producers to see what products they offer, when
they would be available, and their ability to transport and comply with food safety guidelines. Our planning team also
identified opportunities for collaboration to extend school gardening into the summer months. This included developing a
new partnership with the Healthiest State Initiative and Drake University to host nine minimum time Iowa Community
Health AmeriCorps Program (ICHAP) members to serve at thirteen school and community garden sites in the school district.
Results
Through collaboration with school staff and community partners,
the ICHAP members built capacity for sustainable school garden
activities. Some of the greatest successes achieved during the
summer of 2016 include:
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Two new school gardens were created.
With leadership from students, garden signage was
developed to beautify the area and improve
communication with the community.
Community events were hosted to increase family
engagement in the school gardens. Two gardens held
weekly family nights, and three gardens hosted their first
ever family events.
Local produce was procured and sampled at Summer
Food Service Programs and school garden sites.
ICHAP members picked fresh blueberries from a local
patch for students to sample at summer feeding sites.
Thirty pounds of carrots and thirty pounds of radishes
were procured locally and processed by DMPS Food &
Nutrition management. This pilot helped inform the
quantity, timing, and cost of local food procurement and
will shape our Farm to School plan for next summer.
Partnerships were developed and strengthened to
ensure sustainability of future Farm to School efforts.
Contact For more information, please contact: Lyn JenkinsNutrition Education Specialist – [email protected]
Pictured above – LoveJoy Elementary partnered with a local
landscaper to build raised beds – the first step in developing an
attractive and usable outdoor garden and gathering space.
Pictured above – Oak Park Elementary transformed a neglected
flower bed into a community garden with a variety of plants and
produce. Signage was painted right on the garden bed bricks to let
the community know the garden is for them, too
Grant Information Funding for F2S planning was provided by the United States Department of Agriculture Farm to School Planning
Grant. ICHAP and other program activities were funded through Supplemental Nutrition Education (SNAP-Ed), American Heart Association of
Iowa, American Cancer Society, Mid-Iowa Health Foundation, and the United Way of Central Iowa.