East Oxford elementary school was the site of a new announcement by the provincial government.
MPP Ernie Hardeman, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, was joined by Dietitians of Canada and the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association to announce a partnership with the Fresh from the Farm initiative.
The program brings Ontario grown food to local communities and also supports schools, Hardeman said.
“Students and staff at 554 schools across the province worked exceptionally hard in their communities to harvest orders for fresh Ontario produce,” he said. “I want to commend everyone involved in this great project – from the farmers to the students – for developing an innovative way to promote Ontario produce and and support our schools.”
Fresh from the Farm was launched in 2013 as a way to educate students about eating healthy, teaching them where their food comes from and raising funds for schools and farmers. All publicly funded and First Nations schools are able to participate.
Numbers collected by the government said, on average, participating schools each generated $2,040 through sales of nearly 770 kilograms of fresh produce this year. On average, schools kept $817 in profits, which were used in extracurriculars, to upgrade to facilities, and for scholarships and charities.
MPP Ernie Hardeman, the Minister or Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, hands out a bag of produce at their announcement of a partnership to support the Fresh from the Farm program in Woodstock, Ont. on Friday November 23, 2018. (Submitted photo)
“We are pleased to partner with OMAFRA, the Dietitians of Canada and the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association on Fresh from the Farm,” Minister of Education Lisa Thompson said in a release. “This innovative program allows students to learn firsthand where their food comes from, provides schools with the opportunity to raise funds by selling Ontario vegetables and fruit to the community and supports Ontario’s rural economy.”
During the program’s first six years, a total of 1,713 schools have taken part in Fresh from the Farm and sold 1.7 million kg of food raising $4 million.
Schools keep 40 per cent of the funds raised through the program with 50 per cent returned to the farmers and 10 per cent used to funding the program.
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