The Farm-to-School Advisory Group is comprised of parents, teachers, staff, and community advocates who support the advancement of Farm-to-School (F2S) programs and practicies in Bellingham Public Schools. The group meets with the Food Services Director on a monthly basis during the school year.
Mission: The Bellingham Farm-to-School Advisory Group supports the district’s efforts to provide all children with the healthiest meals possible, and encourages the entire school community to take responsibility for helping children develop life-long healthy eating habits.
Vision: To ensure that all students have the nourishment they need to succeed in school, daily opportunities to make and learn about healthy choices.
The Bellingham Farm-to-School Promise illustrates how the Advisory Group sees school food and food education as integral to The Bellingham Promise.
Purpose
- Increase the amount of healthy and local food provided to children.
- Promote the healthy and local school food options at our schools.
- Research additional funding to support Farm-to-School activities.
- Research ways to fund and support classroom curricula associated with Farm-to-School.
Basis for Establishment
The basis for establishment of the advisory group is district/parent/community interest in purchasing healthy local foods for the school food service program as well as the recent availability of local, state, and federal funding and technical assistance for a Farm-to-School program.
Committee Type
Farm-to-School is an Advisory Group that makes recommendations for improvements to food services.
Meeting Information
The Farm-to-School Advisory Group meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Members
- Mark Dalton – Food Service Director and Advisory Group Chair
- Jessica Sankey – Director of Wellness
- Margaret Gude – Communications Department Representative
- Mardi Solomon – Whatcom Farm-to-School Support Team Representative
- Holly O’Neil, Crossroads Consulting, Facilitator
- Bill Angel – Parent
- Sara Bashaw – Parent
- Priscilla Brotherton – Parent
- Lisa Dailey – Parent
- Mystique Grobe – Parent
- Gretchen Hoyt – Representative from local agriculture
- Jamie Imus – Parent
- Gail Knops – Parent
- Mollie O’Neill – Teacher
- Kelly Pederson – Parent
- Mikaela Pederson – Student
- Laura Plaut – Parent, Representative from Common Threads School Garden Collective, Laura@Commonthreadsfarm.org
- Caprice Teske – Parent
To learn more or get involved please contact Food Services Supervisor Mark Dalton at 360-676-6574.