“Farm to school enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools.

Students gain access to healthy, local foods as well as education opportunities such as school gardens, cooking lessons and farm field trips. Farm to school empowers children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and contributing to vibrant communities”. (Copied from the National Farm to School Network Website)

Clyde-Savannah is proud and excited to participate in numerous Farm to School activities throughout the 2023/2024 school year.  We participate in Wayne Wednesdays:  a county wide initiative started in 2018 that focuses on providing one locally sourced ingredients per month featured in several different recipes.  We also participate in NY Thursdays: a statewide initiative that features NY sourced Agriculture products on participating Thursdays throughout each month.  We utilize the majority of our products featured on both Wayne Wednesday and NY Thursdays through our Harvest of the Month campaign.  Each month, we will feature a different agriculture product in a variety of recipes and cooking methods.  Students will receive taste tests prior to it being featured on the menu so they can participate and give feedback on the items served.  If you see an item on our menu listed in green, this means it is a locally sourced Farm-To-School product.

Clyde-Savannah was fortunate to be the recipient of a Farm-To-School grant through American Farmland Trust in the spring of 2022.  This grant included a three-day workshop located in the Hudson Valley that focused on creating a robust Farm to School network and program for our individual school district. As part of the grant, we receive one on one coaching from a Farm to School expert for a term of one full year.  As a result of this grant, we have formed a Farm to School Committee to develop and implement our Farm to School Program that will include involvement from the Cafeteria, Classroom and Community. In addition, the District was extremely fortunate to receive a $100,000  New York State Farm To School Grant, issued through United States Department of Agriculture and Markets,  to be implemented in the current school year.  This grant will assist us in building a working classroom greenhouse giving students hands on learning experiences in creating sustainable food systems. Our current committee consists of:  Donna Riviello, Charlene McKinney & Jennifer Buisch from our Food Service Department; Mr. Matthew Drahms from our Technology Department, and Ms. Karen Markoff, Administration.  We have been busy meeting each month developing a plan for moving forward and seeking additional grants to implement a curriculum surrounding developing soil content, constructing a greenhouse and hoop houses, hydroponic gardening solutions, school and community gardens and many additional, exciting opportunities for our students and community.  We would love to have students and community members join us on this committee and help create these wonderful opportunities for our district.  If you would like to be a part of our Farm to School committee, contact our Food Service Director at the contact information below: 

Our current Farm to School Committee members:

Donna Riviello-Director

Karen Markoff-Administration

Matthew Drahms-Educator

Jennifer Buisch-Food Service Employee

Charlene McKinney-Cook

Donna Riviello

315-902-3060

donna.riviello@clydesavannah.org

This Institution is an equal opportunity employer