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Oregon Department of Agriculture

News
Oregon welcomes first class of FoodCorps members
8/24/2011
Picture of Oregon's new FoodCorps members with ODA's Michelle Ratcliffe in group setting
Oregon's new FoodCorps members with ODA's Michelle Ratcliffe
New program focuses on farm to school & school gardens
 
As kids in Oregon soon head back to school, so will the first class of FoodCorps members with an overall assignment of reversing childhood obesity by linking youngsters up with healthy food. In Oregon, the effort will focus on farm to school programs and school gardens.
For the four FoodCorps members selected to serve in Oregon for this coming year, the actual first day of class is next Monday.

"We are excited to be one of ten states to participate in this program to help communities connect children to healthy food," says Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Katy Coba. "There is a great deal of momentum in our state that sets the stage for a successful FoodCorps initiative. I'm hopeful that the end result will be a link between kids and our wonderful, locally-grown food."

Oregon, through ODA, is a host site for the national program. FoodCorps seeks to serve vulnerable children, improve their access to healthy and affordable food, and train young leaders for careers in food and agriculture. Patterned after the public service model of AmeriCorps, FoodCorps leverages federal funds to help its service members accomplish program goals.

"FoodCorps members will focus specifically on farm to school and school garden related activities," says Michelle Markesteyn Ratcliffe, ODA's Farm to School Program Manager. "They will build and tend school gardens, teach kids about nutrition and agriculture, and help schools source more local agricultural products."

In a competitive selection process, the FoodCorps planning team reviewed 108 host site proposals submitted from 39 states and the District of Columbia. All ten selected host sites have proven success in improving the quality of school food and have the capacity to expand FoodCorps efforts regionally. ODA is the only state department of agriculture or state agency selected to pilot the program. Most other sites include academic institutions and non-profit organizations.

"We are looking at FoodCorps as another tool we can use to procure and promote Oregon agricultural products in schools," says Ratcliffe. "At the same time, we see it supporting agricultural and environmental literacy at a time when most kids are generations removed from the farm."

From a national perspective, FoodCorps appears to be every bit as ambitious as another well-known service program- Peace Corps.

"FoodCorps provides a scalable response to America's painful and costly epidemic of childhood obesity," says Curt Ellis, executive director of FoodCorps. "The program will at once serve families in need, improving access to healthy, affordable school meals, while also serving its AmeriCorps members- training a cadre of young leaders for careers in food, agriculture, and public health."

Oregon is a source of innovation and inspiration for agriculture and food systems careers. It's not surprising that two of FoodCorps' three founding members- Ellis and Cecily Upton- are from Oregon. Three of the four FoodCorps members that will be serving the state are also from Oregon, picked from more than 1,200 applicants nationwide. One member is moving to Oregon from Pennsylvania.

The four members will serve with the following organizations:
 
  • Christopher Chemsak will serve with the Salem-Keizer Education Foundation in Marion County
  • Amoreena Bessey Treff will serve with both the School Garden Project of Lane County and the Corvallis Environmental Center in Benton County
  • Emily Ritchie will serve with FoodRoots in Tillamook County
  • Jessica Polledri will serve with Growing Gardens in Multnomah County

"FoodCorps members will help these organizations increase their ability to meet local needs," says Ratcliffe. "A FoodCorp member will likely engage between 10 and 50 community volunteers in the school garden, and agricultural and food education."

Using FoodCorps members as a catalyst for volunteers can help in many ways. While a typical day in the life of a FoodCorps member depends on the site, Ratcliffe expects a strong, local impact.

"I can envision the member teaching third, fifth, and ninth graders in the school garden for an hour Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Tuesday, they might be seeking donations from the community for the school garden program. On Thursday, they might be training adult volunteers on how to maintain the garden over the summer."

Each of the four FoodCorps members in Oregon will be working on a common initiative- the Oregon Harvest for Schools promotion. Created by the Oregon Department of Education, the campaign features a monthly in-school promotion of featured produce items.

To date, nearly half of Oregon's school districts indicate they are purchasing locally. Increasing that percentage is a worthy goal that FoodCorps may help achieve.

"FoodCorps is a very big tool Oregon now has to address the need and desire of our communities to engage kids in agriculture and food," says Ratcliffe. "It can help us teach them where food comes from, teach them about healthy food, and push schools to purchase local agricultural products."

The four FoodCorps members in Oregon, as well as those in other sites around the nation, are committing to at least 1,700 hours of service over the next year. In exchange, the members receive a $15,000 stipend, health insurance, career mentoring, and a $5,000 education award upon completion of their service. The contributions they make to their respective communities should be well worth the investment as kids eat better, and know more about food and agriculture while local growers gain greater access to school lunch and breakfast programs. Another four FoodCorps members will be funded for the next two years and, hopefully, beyond if all goes well.

For more information, contact Michelle Markesteyn Ratcliffe at (503) 476-6080.
 
 
 
 
 

Story of the Week pdf version
http://oregon.gov/ODA/docs/pdf/news/110824foodcorps.pdf

Audio Story of the Week
http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/110824foodcorps_audio.shtml