Home Grown School Lunch Week

Sample social media posts for Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week

• September 24-28, 2018
• For more information on FSNE Farm to School Programming
• The Maryland page provides a number of helpful links including:
  • Information for Schools 
  • Helpful links for Parents and Children
  • Promotional Items and Funding Opportunities
  • Information for Teachers and Administrators

FSNE educators and teachers use this annual event as an opportunity to craft a multi-layered SEM intervention at FSNE schools:

• Students are tasting local products in the cafeteria
• Students have opportunities to learn about, help prepare, and taste locally-grown food in the classroom
• Students are engaged in gardening and nutrition lessons and activities that support HGSLW
• Local farmers and producers can be invited to the school to speak to students about local agriculture

How can you get involved?

• Review the school menu – are local items highlighted?
• Connect with the county food service director to determine county-wide events.
• Chat with the cafeteria manager to learn of any items that will be promoted.
• Connect with administration to learn of any school-wide events.
• Determine how to support and promote Farm to School activities that are happening in your school/county.
• During your FSNE lesson – promote foods tasted in the cafeteria during HGSLW.
• Build lessons around locally-grown foods.
• Invite local farmers to discuss locally-grown products and agriculture in general.
• Provide in-direct materials to go home with students
• Promote HGSLW or farm to school on school’s morning announcements
  • Write announcements about a featured HGSLW item
  • Use the January ReFresh Prompt
  • Need more morning announcement ideas?
• Promote HGSLW or Farm to school with a classroom door decorating contest
• Hang posters in the cafeteria
  • Dig In posters can be ordered from Team Nutrition

FSNE Educators can :

• Select a Read for Health book/tasting to highlight local foods or particular items from the week’s menu
• Market to Mealtime (M2M) :
  • Use the summer or fall lesson, depending on the menu.
  • Display in parent room or area with high parent traffic.
  • Sponsor a Worksite Wellness Lunch and Learn for teachers (include a tasting).
  • Share recipes with staff and parents that include local items featured on cafeteria menu.
• Nutrition to Go
  • Show simple Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables.
  • Put Nutrition to Go displays in parent room or area with high parent traffic.
  • Provide a Lunch and Learn session for teachers (include a tasting of fall fruits and vegetables)

Other ideas to consider during Homegrown School Lunch Week:

• Tasting Event Guide
• Schedule a Farmer to visit your school.
  • FSNE specific handout – Invite a Farmer to the Classroom
• Plan a field trip to farm and/or Farmers Market.
• Promote your local Farmers’ Market.
• Try the Farmers’ Market Scavenger Hunt
• Ask student gardeners give guided tours of school gardens.

Connect with Parents:

• Newsletters: Farm to school newsletter English and Spanish seasonal Gardening for Nutrition newsletters, and other relevant newsletters
• Recipes: select recipes that feature local item from school menu or items tasted in class
• DHR Fliers: Fresh from the Market, Get Growing, and Fall Fruits and Vegetables