USDA’s FNCS Tours Olympic View’s Garden to Cafeteria Program

During DiscoverU Week, Olympic View K-8 and FWPS Superintendent Dr. Dani Pfeiffer welcomed USDA Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS) Deputy Under Secretary Cindy Long and her team to explore the new School Garden to Cafeteria program. The visit showcased how the program is being implemented, how recent grants enable the district to source meals through local farms and school gardens, and the variety of hands-on learning experiences provided to scholars.

The USDA team included Dr. Tameka Owens, Assistant Administrator, FNCS Senior Advisor Jayme Holliday, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Acting Media Branch Chief Cody Gray, FNS Western Regional Office Public Affairs Specialist Julie Yee, and Leanne Eko, Washington OSPI Chief Nutrition Officer for Child Nutrition Services.

The visit coincided with DiscoverU Week, a regional initiative that encourages students to explore college and career pathways through engaging and interactive experiences. As part of this celebration, Olympic View K-8 took the opportunity to spotlight its innovative School Garden to Cafeteria program by implementing a series of rotating learning stations in the school’s garden. These stations were designed to provide students with an immersive experience, connecting their classroom learning to real-world applications in agriculture, sustainability, and food science.

The USDA officials joined groups of students at these stations, where they explored diverse aspects of gardening and agricultural science. Scholars participated in activities such as planting garlic that will eventually be used in their school meals, learning about vermiculture by holding live worms, and understanding how herbs are used for both culinary and medicinal purposes, with a special focus on their significance in Native American culture.

Students also engaged in discussions about the vital role of agriculture in the economy and learned about various careers in the agricultural sector, including wheat farmers, soil scientists, and irrigation engineers. This hands-on approach helped students connect their local food-growing efforts to broader concepts of sustainability and community impact.

Ms. Long and Dr. Owens also joined our kindergarteners and first-graders for lunch, enjoying locally sourced meals like chicken and black bean burgers, fresh raspberries from Columbia Fruit in Woodland, Wash., apple slices from Sage Fruit in Yakima, Wash., spinach from Carpinito Brothers in Kent, Wash., and lettuce and sugar snap peas straight from the school’s garden. 

“I learned about soil, garlic, and plants that can get you medicine,” said one enthusiastic first grader and seventh-grader Emma expressed her excitement about her school’s unique opportunity to grow food that will be served at lunch while learning about those foods' origin and impact. 

“These grants and programs align with our mission to create meaningful learning experiences for students that extend beyond the classroom,” said Superintendent Dr. Dani Pfeiffer. “We’re proud to showcase our School Garden to Cafeteria program as it not only enhances our students’ understanding of sustainability but also connects them with meaningful career pathways in agriculture and environmental sciences.”

The Farm to School Grant and the Garden to Cafeteria program highlight FWPS Nutrition Services’ commitment to expanding local partnerships with farmers and providing educational experiences that connect scholars to agricultural practices. These initiatives strengthen the district’s gardens and promote agricultural learning, all while supporting sustainable meal sourcing.

These grants and programs are part of the USDA’s efforts to “promote economic opportunities for farmers and producers and to increase access to locally sourced, fresh, healthy, and nutritious food in underserved communities,” as explained by USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt.

In the 2023-24 school year, FWPS Nutrition Services was awarded $259,400 through the Washington State Department of Agriculture Farm to School Purchasing Grant. These funds have been allocated to purchase food items locally grown and produced in Washington State for school meals, childcare meals, and summer meals, directly from farms or through distributors like Charlie’s Produce.

DiscoverU in the Garden event was created a few years ago by Stacy Traylor, school counselor at Enterprise Elementary. Throughout the years, Teaching for Learning and the Office of Equity departments at FWPS have expanded this event and implemented it at several gardens during DiscoverU week.

USDA Disclaimer: This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.