Fresh Food Projects in New Orleans

This week I had the pleasure of attending a Unified Non Profits of Greater New Orleans meeting which discussed fresh food projects in the area. The panel consisted of representation from theSecond Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans, New Orleans Food Policy Advisory Committee, Re-Think,Edible Schoolyard programs, Grow Dat and New Orleans Outreach.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans

Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans is doing many great things in the area to help fight hunger and provide food to families all across the city. In 2009, Louisiana food banks served an estimated 609, 100 individuals. They currently have many programs to help fight hunger such as four food distribution programs that target education and resources to kids and senior citizens.  One program designed by Second Harvest called 9 A- Day the Head Start Way is weekly deliveries of free produce encouraging healthy eating among children and their families.

The New Orleans Food Policy

The New Orleans Food Policy is a great advisory committee that is a trusted resource for healthy food throughout the city. The group formed post Katrina to talk about food access in the City of New Orleans. An incentive the group helped get passed is Fresh Food Incentive Program, which gives incentives to stores and/or developers to provide fresh food in their area stores. This program is in process of being signed. They are working hard to transform school food, by providing recommendations to provide healthy food choices.

The Edible SchoolYard
A program I truly love the most has to be The Edible Schoolyard of New Orleans, which are innovative food programs serving FirstLine Schools.  The primary school they function at is Samuel Green. Edible Schoolyard works to get kids excited about healthy food and parents more knowledgeable about alternative food practices. Kids are getting experience of cooking and gardening each day at school.

ReThink
ReThink brings the youth ideas into school reform. Kids create recommendations for things they want to see to make their schools better. Students have brought many ideas to schools and RSD Superintendent that have brought many changes and additions to school master plans.

GrowDat
A new program getting started is GrowDat, which hires students to grow food which will be sold and donated, which is located in City Park.

School Food Transformation Successes:

• Warren Easton Charter High School installed a cafeteria salad bar in 2009, improved healthy vending options to exceed state standards, provides nutrition education for students and parents in partnership with LSU AgCenter, and has an active school wellness council that recently ratified a comprehensive school wellness policy.
•  At least 9 New Orleans schools across the city have installed various types of school gardens.
• New Orleans College Prep Charter School and its food server provider, Liberty’s Kitchen, have partnered to provide student meals that are cooked from scratch, use only whole, fresh ingredients, and meet USDA requirements for reimbursable meals.  Liberty’s Kitchen, a social enterprise serving New Orleans’ youth, is also able to use the kitchen setting at College Prep to both employ and expand training opportunities for participants in their Youth Development Program.
• FirstLine Schools and its food service provider, Sodexho, have increased servings of whole grains, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and local produce and reduced the amount of processed foods served at Arthur Ashe Charter School, Dibert Community School, Langston Hughes Academy, and Samuel J. Green Charter School.
  
• From 2007-2009, O. Perry Walker High School offered food systems education and cooking class curricula developed by the New Orleans Food and Farm Network.

*Photo Credit:http://esynola.org