Ecotrust in the News
The Oregonian
June 18, 2009
By Deborah J. Kane
Add fresh food to school lunches
While most school cafeterias are closed for summer break, House Bill 2800, Oregon's Farm to School and School Garden bill, is still cooking in Salem. Other states invest resources to supplement the national school lunch and breakfast program, but Oregon currently doesn't allocate any state funding to school meals. HB2800 will change that by strategically allocating lottery resources to schools so that they can purchase more Oregon grown, processed and manufactured foods for the lunchroom.
HB2800 also allocates state resources to support agriculture- and garden-based education efforts in schools. A pilot program underway in Portland Public Schools and Gervais Public Schools has definitely shown the positive impact that investing in school food could have for Oregon. We already know that a $1 spent on school food locally triggers economic impacts well beyond the agricultural sector.
Deborah J. Kane is vice president of food and farms for Ecotrust and and a food and society policy fellow.
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