Bibb County Schools Bring Local Farms to the Cafeteria

Community Health Works and Middle Georgia farms are partnering with Bibb County Schools to kick start the Farm to School program. Today, students at Ingram-Pye Elementary got a lesson in healthy eating and strawberry picking with some help from Elliot Farms.

“Any fruit or vegetable that is grown and is picked locally has a shorter distance from the field to the table. They lose less nutrients during transportation,” says Dr. Cleta Long, Bibb County School Director of Nutrition.

Principal Mary Sams says learning about these vegetables helps her children make healthy choices. Partnering with local farms gives school cafeteria’s the opportunity to offer fresh selections.

“It helps change their eating habits as they grow older. After all the children are someday going to be responsible for their own meal planning.”

Ingram-Pye will serve fresh fruits and vegetables daily from local farms until the end of the school year. Faculty and staff hope these options will lead to healthy eating over the summer break. They will continue the program this fall.