Sumter County Elementary and Primary schools will start serving fresh produce snacks to students during instructional time.

According to the director of school nutrition, Martha Harvey, the reason for the program is not only for healthy nutrition, but to teach students to eat healthier snacks, in hopes of combating obesity. Harvey encouraged administrators to apply for funding for the program called Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Harvey hopes the program would produce something similar to a domino effect.

“What we hope is we will teach the student and the students will teach their parents, in hopes of spreading healthy nutritional habits into the community,” she said.

After working in nutrition for 15 years and administering the program in a Thomaston school system, Harvey said the program has worked for her and was very successful.

Part of Harvey’s  duties at Sumter County Schools were to introduce the program to staff in an effort to integrate the produce program into instruction in creative and educational ways.

“I have shown presentations on the program to administrators, principals and teachers, introducing them to the program. I will also be providing produce information, a fact sheet, to each teacher,” she said. The information provided should encourage teachers to incorporate food into the subject that is being taught at the time.

“If she is teaching math, history, science, social studies or English, she can, for example, show them the part of the country the produce is from. We want to create an atmosphere where their snack time will not be an interruption but a continuation of academics.” Harvey said.

The total funding for the program was $132,080.98, among Sumter County schools receiving funding were four schools : Sarah Cobb $21,695.43; Cherokee $27,269.95; Sumter County Primary $48,011.19 and Sumter County Elementary $35,104.41.  

The funds for the program originated from the Food Conservation and Energy Act which is part of the Farm bill (section 19), a fresh fruit and vegetable program funded by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

According to administrator of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program’s funds, the Georgia Department of Education School Nutrition, qualifying schools should be receiving the national school lunch program at their school, receive 50% free and reduced lunches and the produce is to be given out during instruction, not after school. Harvey also added 90% percent of funds  are required to be spent on fresh fruits and vegetable sales with the other 10% being spent on paper products, which will be used for the distribution of the snacks. Also, the program requires $50 should be spent on each student each year.

According to Harvey, the children will not be receiving only grapes and strawberries everyday. The program will serve four fruits a week and a vegetable, one day a week. 

“We will be serving fruit that is in season such as pears, plums, peaches, blueberries, and star fruit. We’ll also serve a vegetable that can be served with low fat ranch dressing, to encourage the children to dip it,” she said, adding that a variety of vegetables will be served.

“To mention a few of the vegetables served are squash, grape tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, avocados, cauliflower, carrots, celery and broccoli.” she said.

Keeping with the Farm to School Program, whose primary goal is to use cross-curricular lessons to integrate healthy, sustainable and locally grown food into the lives of all Georgians, the school makes use of local contractors.

“The school accepts bids from local contractors. The school is currently served by a local contractor, Scoggins Produce Company that delivers the produce to each school.

“Buy using local contractors, we also cut down on costs while supporting local farmers.” said Harvey. 

Read More: The Americus Times-Recorder

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