FRESHFARM is expanding its healthy food outreach program for elementary school students to new partners in Southeast DC.
According to the CDC, half of young children don’t eat their vegetables every day, and one local nonprofit is on a mission to change that through education and partnerships.
FRESHFARM, which operates 24 farmers markets in the Washington, D.C., area, is expanding its healthy food outreach program for elementary school students to new partners in Southeast D.C.
The National Children’s Center has partnered with FRESHFARM for an educational curriculum on food and gardening in early learning and early intervention centers.
A community food educator from FRESHFARM will visit the ELC once a month to lead in-person family education sessions focused on local food preparation, sourcing, consumption and food storage. Through the DC Office of the State Superintendent, the ELC will become one of FRESHFARM’s Healthy Tots sites. In addition to the monthly virtual cooking sessions, there will also be biweekly virtual office hours with FRESHFARM experts.
Learn more about FRESHFARM’s continuing nutrition education efforts online
FRESHFARM operates in 21 Washington DC public schools, reaching 7,600 students in kindergarten through fifth grade through food education programs. FRESHFARM’s work was featured at the 2024 Food Is Medicine Summit hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
NCC was founded in 1958 to serve children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and currently operates Baby Bloomers Urban Garden, providing healthy meals to residents of the 7th and 8th Wards.
FRESHFARM recently took over operations of the Ward 8 produce stand on the THEARC campus on Mississippi Avenue in Southeast and operates seasonal farmers markets in partnership with the nonprofit Building Bridges Across the River. FRESHFARM currently operates six farmers markets in Wards 7 and 8.
FRESHFARM generated $28.5 million in revenue for farmers and producers last year and is the largest farmers market network in the Mid-Atlantic, with more than 1 million customers visiting the markets.
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