Chartwells K12 team has worked successfully with local vendors such as Pocono Organics, located in Long Pond, PA to provide our students locally harvested produce. We have been working hard to bring seed to table at all 5 of our district's elementary and intermediate schools this past school year. Our Farm to School Program has been designed with student engagement in mind.

According to the PA Department of Agriculture, "The [Farm to School] program aims to bridge the gap between children and the food system by connecting them to the fresh, healthy food available from Pennsylvania agricultural producers in their community and the surrounding areas. Through changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early childhood education sites, children will become more aware and engaged with their local food system as well as empowered to leverage their own consumer influence to support Pennsylvania agriculture."

Our current partnership has provided the ability to: 

• Purchase organic produce from our local farm, Pocono Organics
• Feature menu items made from local produce, such as Cabbage for the LoMein, and Green Bean Side salad.  
• Coordinate education from a Pocono Organics farmer, including an in-person visit to talk about the local produce
• Mini Mushroom Farms, we will have over 70 mini mushroom farms in our classrooms throughout the district. 

When viewing your school's Nutrislice menu, look out for our custom Farm to School icon to see when we're serving foods made from local produce!