Contact the CT Dept of Agriculture Farm-To-School Program at (860) 713-2503.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program comes to CT!

We all know that we should eat more fruits and vegetables (5 to 9 servings according to the new Food Pyramid), but sometimes it is easier to grab a less healthy, more processed snack.  For 25 schools in Connecticut, fitting those fruits and vegetables into the daily diet will be a little easier, thanks to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).   Designed to give public school student greater access to fruits and vegetables in conjunction with nutrition education, the FFVP is currently active in 14 states and 2 Indian Tribal Organizations.  Due to a delay in appropriations at the federal level, the program in CT just got underway in February, but is already a rousing success.  The Department of Education will provide support and oversight for the success and effectiveness of the program in partnership with the following organizations: The Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School Program; the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s Five a Day Program, and the Connecticut’s Action for Healthy Kids 5-3-1 for Healthy Kids Program.

“The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program provides participating schools with the opportunity to offer fresh fruits and vegetables, free of charge, to students throughout the school day.  It is an effective and creative way of introducing fresh fruits and vegetables as healthy snack options, and further facilitates the Department’s initiatives in promoting a school environment that supports students’ health and learning,” said Commissioner of Education, Betty J. Sternberg.

The goals of this program are to:

• create healthier school environments by providing healthier food choices;
• expand the variety of fruits and vegetables the children experience;
• increase children’s fruit and vegetable consumption; and
• make a difference in children’s diets to impact their present and future health.

The following Connecticut schools and Residential Child Care Institutions were awarded grants ranging from: $8,292 to $103,120:

Annie E. Vinton School – Mansfield
Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School – New London
Brooklyn Elementary School – Waterbury
Carrington School – Waterbury
Dodd Middle School – Cheshire
Evarts C. Stevens School – Wallingford
Farmington High School – Farmington
Griswold High School – Griswold
Harbor School – New London
Highville Mustard Seed Charter School
John B. Stanton School – Norwich
Klingberg Family Centers
Lebanon Elementary School – Lebanon
Lincoln School – New Britain
Luis Munoz Marin School – Bridgeport
MacDonough School – Middletown
Moses Y. Beach School – Wallingford
Parker Memorial School – Tolland
Putnam Elementary School - Putnam
Rawson School – Hartford
Smalley Academy – New Britain
Strong School - Southington
The Children’s Center of Hamden
Timothy Edwards School – South Windsor
Webster Hill School – West Hartford

For more information about the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, contact Maureen Staggenborg at 860-807-2070 or Teri Dandeneau at 860-807-2070.