Farm to Cafeteria Gathering with Rita Ordonez and other school gardeners & interested local food activists
Presentation & Discussion
Thursday, July 22 from 6 pm to 8 pm
Skagit Valley Food Co-op, Room 309
Bring some finger foods / hors d’oeuvres for sharing
RSVP to Jodie Buller at the Co-op for head count.  Thanks!

Come and hear about the 2010 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference from Rita Ordóñez, parent volunteer at Lincoln Elementary School in Mount Vernon.  Rita and Olivia Farrell, her eleven year old daughter, received a $1000 award for Lincoln Elementary at this annual conference which was held in Detroit, MI in May.  They were honored for their video, “Real Food Is,” which tells the tale of the work to try to get more nutritious, local food into the cafeteria at Olivia’s school in Mount Vernon.  The video, “Lincoln’s Journey to Real Food”, was picked as one of four finalists in the nation, and it wound up winning the online vote for best video!    If you would like to see the winning video, you can check it out at
 
http://video.farmtoschool.org/video/53/lincolns-journey-to-real-food
 
Rita will show slides and discuss how community gardens and urban farms are transforming Detroit.  She will also present information on how Healthy Cooking Contests can be utilized to move the idea of farm to cafeteria forward, and engage communities in the Healthful School Food Movement.
 
Check out Olivia’s speech at the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Detroit as she accepted a $1,000 prize for her school.
 
http://www.flipshare.com/ViewFbReshare.aspx?i=1e2c56e9-8b0f-466f-97fa-e5...
 
Also, below are links to additional conference materials and resources and a video of the keynote address by USDA Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan.
 
http://farmtocafeteriaconference.org/5/materials/
 
http://www.flipshare.com/ViewFbReshare.aspx?i=8d8d3c9a-bf12-4df0-9289-de...
 
Rita Ordóñez has a MA in Geography from the University of WA.  She is a member of the Mount Vernon School District Nutrition Advisory Committee, the Coordinator of the Lincoln School Garden and Family Cooking Classes, Slow Food in Schools Coordinator for Slow Food Skagit, and Chair of the Lincoln Healthy School Project Committee.  Rita is also the past Coordinator of the WA State Farmers Market Association Wireless Technology Pilot Project, and Past Project Leader and Grant Writer for the Mount Vernon Farmers Market Skagit Cooks! project.  She lives in Mount Vernon with her husband, Ron Farrell, and her 2 children, Roland and Olivia.
 

Rita Ordonez, Coordinator
Lincoln Elementary
School Garden and Family Cooking Classes
Mount Vernon, WA
360-336-0932
ritaroma@earthlink.net