Official Kids Mag

are you a kid hero, or do you know one? let us know all about it! contact krice@officialkidsmag.com food at peak freshness. Normally, the students would be there working in the gardens too but with the coronavirus, they're not allowed in. He likes to brag on the garden leaders for going "an extra above and beyond" at their schools. After the produce was harvested, it went to the cafeterias to get washed and prepped. "And then we'd do another washing to make sure the food was completely clean," Ally explained. "Next they were put in meal packs that were distributed to the children." The United States Food and Drug Administration has strict rules and guidelines to ensure food safety, and Ally has always been on board with that. "We started with one kitchen. Parents would pick up breakfast and lunch meal packs there but we also had bus routes. Our bus drivers sprung into action. We probably had 15 stops around Fayetteville. My staff is so awesome!" Of course, with 700 students to feed at the height of the crisis, the produce grown before the pandemic by the children working in their school gardens wasn't nearly enough. People even were coming from other school districts, like Siloam Springs! So Ally, Sim and the team began collecting food from other kitchens that were closed and bringing it to the main preparation site. "All five food groups were included in the meals," she said. Those groups are fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy. "They can be fresh, frozen or dried. We'd package it all in a plastic grocery bag. We'd have a breakfast pack, a lunch pack and a fruit and veggie pack." As the program grew, they stopped running buses and had five different places throughout the city where families could pick up a weeks' worth of food. "They only had to come once a week instead of every day, and they would stay in their cars." The meals are free, and Fayetteville Public Schools will continue providing them for all children 0-18 years of age seven days a week (that's right— weekends too!) through June 30, 2021. The schools that participated in the campaign earning them the Best Harvest Partnership Garden award were Asbell elementary, Butterfield Trail elementary, Holcomb elementary, Leverett elementary, Owl Creek School, Root elementary, Vandergriff elementary and Washington elementary and Holt Middle School. Never before had there been an emergency like Covid-19. Never had there been a system developed to make sure every student had breakfast and lunch at home when schools shut down. Ally and Sim were very smart and caring to put together such a large-scale and important program in such a short time! And Fayetteville students played a part in the very beginning by planting seeds that grew into plants that were part of the meals that went to homes so children could eat the good fresh food from gardens. "We learned about healthy foods, how to take care of the garden and which plants are good for the soil. We also got to cook in the kitchen and would make a snack with the food we grew." ~ hettie, first grade www.officialKidsMag.com • May 2021 • 43

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