Farm-to-School is the nationwide movement to connect classrooms and cafeterias with communities and farms in order to improve school nutrition and foster students’ ability to make healthy, environmentally-conscious food choices.

Addison County is a national leader in Farm to School programming, and ACORN is proud to help all our community leaders network with each other.

Big thanks to the Kendall Foundation New England Food Vision Prize, which helped fund a large chunk of our Farm to School work in 2024!

2024 Farm to School

The acorn food hub deliveries fresh seasonal apples to lothrop elementary school in october 2024.

In 2024, we continued to serve four local school districts: Addison Northwest School District, Mt. Abraham Unified School District, Addison Central School District, and Rutland Northeast SU with fresh, delicious vegetables. From Fall 2023 - June 2024, these districts were able to purchase diverse local food products through the ACORN Food Hub using an award from the Local Food for Schools Award. The Local Food For Schools (LFS) Program is a partnership with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and Vermont food hubs to provide local food to Vermont schools at no cost to the schools. Using the refrigerated delivery van we purchased with the Kendall award in late 2023, we could serve the growing demand from our school districts in 2024. Following the Local Food for Schools program, schools continued purchasing food through the ACORN Food Hub and we continue to make weekly deliveries to our local schools!

In April, ACORN and VT FEED hosted the Addison County Farm to School Regional Gathering. It was an evening of peer-to-peer learning and digging into opportunities to strengthen the farm to school movement in Addison County. Local students shared their food systems inspired projects, we learned about upcoming opportunities to deepen our farm to school connections, and took a tour of the Middlebury Union High School cafeteria and greenhouse.

2023 Farm to School

ACORN Food Hub manager deliveries a load of local food to the slate valley unfied school district in 2023.

This year, we are pleased to announce that local produce will be purchased from the ACORN Food Hub to supply four local school districts: Addison Northwest School District, Mt. Abraham Unified School District, Addison Central School District, and Rutland Northeast SU with fresh, delicious vegetables.

Thank you to the generous support of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. This exciting cross-sector partnership will facilitate the movement of tons of fresh local food into more schools!

2022 Farm to School

In 2022, as part of a Farm to School Nutrition grant, we are partnering with the Addison Central School District to help create a sense of place for students through farms and local food. A Middlebury Union High School science class will work with ACSD dining services, ACORN and Shelburne Farms to create a visual map of the farms the school district sources from. The map will be printed, laminated and displayed in school cafeterias across the district. As part of this project, students will interview farmers, learn about the meal budgeting process and engage with their peers to discuss the importance of a strong local food community.

The map will also be featured in the 2023 Champlain Valley Local Food and Farms Guide.

What does Farm-to-School Mean to you?

Produced by VT FEED

What does Farm to School mean to you? We asked Vermont Farm to School Network members when they gathered for a celebration in June. Tune in to see what they had to say... Learn more about the Vermont Farm to School Network at vermontfarmtoschool.org

Our previous major Farm to School initiatives were the Stone Soup Summit and Harvest of the Month. In 2019 we launched the Farm to Preschool Farmacy shares (see below).

Additionally, we have hosted numerous training workshops for farm-to-preschool educators, food service workers, teachers and school nurses, partnered with Middlebury College's FoodWorks program to support school gardens over the summer months, are members of the Addison County Hunger Council, and have organized meetings with Addison County administrators and school boards regarding Farm to School programming.

Farm to Preschool

In 2019, ACORN partnered with five area preschools to:

  • Receive Farmacy CSA boxes for 12 weeks

  • Provide food education for children and outreach to their families

  • Encourage local food purchasing and understanding how to prepare seasonal produce

  • Collect data on how nutritious food is linked to improved behavior

  • Build a 260 square foot storage facility for year-round use

  • Organize a fall celebration around food

Jr Iron Chef VT

ACORN values and supports Junior Iron Chef!  Jr Iron Chef VT, a statewide culinary competition, empowers Vermont middle and high school students to develop healthy eating habits through a hands-on approach with whole, local foods. 

Jr Iron Chef VT is an annual event, but its influence and impact is seen throughout the seasons. Teams gather in the fall to develop recipes, learn basic cooking techniques, and explore new foods. Once a recipe is chosen, students practice cooking their dish an average of six times, increasing their skills and confidence with each trial run. 

Every year, ACORN, on behalf of our greater community, provides each participating chef with a high-quality pan. The pans are distributed at the schools, often when the students are showcasing their cooking skills or when their recipes are being served at lunch, as recognition of their hard work and dedication. Students who participate multiple years in a row are acquiring quite the collection of kitchen tools that will reflect their collaboration, teamwork, leadership, creativity and personal growth. We thank our generous co-sponsors and community members for helping us support our own Junior Iron Chefs, regardless of whether or not they took home the gold.