REAP Brings Farm-to-School Efforts Together for New Family Food Fest, May 17

For more than a decade, REAP Food Group has been working hard to incorporate more fresh, locally sourced foods into Madison-area schools. No matter the time of year, REAP partners with local farmers and chefs and works hand-in-hand with the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) to incorporate local fruits and vegetables into lunches, summer meals, snacks, classroom lessons, culinary classes, and more. REAP’s goal is to improve the health of students across Madison and to better incorporate nutrition, agriculture, and sustainability into classrooms. REAP isn’t the only group in town working to bring healthier living to Madison students – others work on school gardens, active living, nutrition, and other programs that align with the farm to school mission to improve the health of students, communities, and farmers.

To celebrate all of this work pushing for healthier kids and families, REAP is hosting the first-ever Family Food Fest on Sunday, May 17, at Lincoln Elementary School. This free, all-ages event will give families a chance to learn about and experience the best in healthy, local food, together with fun, hands-on activities, and plenty of entertainment. It’s not often that the wide variety of groups working on farm to school issues are together in one place, and it will be a great chance to see everything that’s happening and how the efforts fit together into an energetic movement to improve the health of our community.

REAP is excited to share that this event will serve as the official launch of REAP’s partnership with MMSD Food and Nutrition, called the “MMSD Farm to School Project: Great Food, Great Schools.” REAP been working closely with MMSD Food and Nutrition for years, but this public launch recognizes recent successes in sourcing locally and a further commitment to continuing progress. Last month, REAP and MMSD celebrated the installation of MMSD’s 29th cafeteria salad bar, and this winter a pilot of a new local distribution chain sent over 2,000 pounds of locally grown carrots and kohlrabi into nearly every MMSD elementary, middle, and high school. Representatives from the school board, MMSD Food and Nutrition, and the mayor’s office will be with us at Family Food Fest to celebrate all of Madison’s farm to school efforts and to recognize this official partnership.

Family Food Fest will bring all elements of farm to school to a wide audience of families, showcasing the work being done in Madison schools and introducing people to resources, ideas, and opportunities for delicious, healthy, local eating at home. And, of course, the event will feature a wide variety of delicious foods, exciting demonstrations, performances, and more – educational, yes, but also a fun, tasty way to spend a Sunday afternoon with your family!

There will be food carts from the Let’s Eat Out! Food Cart Collaborative (first 200 attendees will receive free food cart vouchers!), a wide variety of free food samples, performances from school dance and music groups, demonstrations from local chefs cooking together with middle school students, a chance to try out the Lincoln Elementary cafeteria salad bar, art projects to be displayed at the school, and much more. Many of REAP’s community partners showcase the work that they do, including school garden activities led by Community GroundWorks, nutrition activities by UW-Extension, and active living games by the Childhood Obesity Prevention Collaborative and CATCH Healthy Habits.

REAP is thankful to the group of organizations and businesses sponsoring Family Food Fest, particularly Organic Valley along with the Irwin A. and Robert D. Goodman Foundation and Edible Madison.

You can see more details of the event at www.reapfoodgroup.org/familyfoodfest. Hope to see you there!