WALPOLE, N.H. — Area classrooms, cafeterias, and community partners are bonding over seasonal eating! The grant-supported NH Harvest of the Month program is excited to announce the launch of their completed website (www.nhharvestofthemonth.org/), which offers educational materials pertaining to monthly seasonal fruits and vegetables. Additionally, professional development training sessions are being offered to support educators in pairing Harvest of the Month educational materials with their pre-existing curriculum. Finally, the Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition (MFCC) will host a community engagement and input session to garner support and share resources. This public kick-off event will take place on Wednesday, May 3rd from 4:00-6:00pm at Stonewall Farm (242 Chesterfield Road, Keene, NH 03431). The community kick-off event will feature:
- Food retailers, youth educators, and institutional buyers, health care providers, and other stakeholders discuss efforts to engage residents in seasonal eating
- Break-out sessions affording opportunities to network and brainstorm action steps that promote seasonal eating
- Free dinner sourced locally
- Free childcare
Please register here for the community kick-off event.
The newly-launched NH Harvest of the Month website features ready-to-go educational materials that can be utilized by classroom and home educators, food service professionals, farmers, families, and more! The website also offers healthy recipes highlighting the monthly fruit or vegetable that can be adapted to fit the needs of both food service professionals as well as individuals and families. Finally, the website presents a reading list that complements Harvest of the Month fruits and vegetables and can be incorporated into school and home classrooms.
To further support our schools across the greater Monadnock region interested in the Harvest of the Month program, Vital Communities (http://vitalcommunities.org/) and The Cornucopia Project (http://cornucopiaproject.org/
Recognizing the successes of neighboring state seasonal eating programs, the Cheshire County Conservation District and partner organizations are eager to further encourage seasonal eating, healthy diets, and increased support for the local economy to the greater Monadnock region. A $44,500 Specialty Crop Block Grant through the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food obtained by the Cheshire County Conservation District is making the NH Harvest of the Month program possible. Project partners in this two-year grant include: Antioch University New England, Contoocook Valley School District (SAU 1), Cornucopia Project, Fall Mountain Regional School District (SAU 60), Food Connects, Keene Food Service (SAU 29), Monadnock Regional School District (SAU 93), NH Farm to School, and Vital Communities.
The Cheshire County Conservation District promotes the conservation and responsible use of our natural and agricultural resources for the people of Cheshire County by providing technical, financial, and educational assistance. Our goal is to encourage the stewardship of healthy soils, productive ecologically sound farms, diverse wildlife, productive sustainable forests, healthy watersheds, and clean water to ensure those resources are available for future generations. Established in 1945, the Conservation District operates out of Walpole, NH where we work alongside the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and other conservation partners. For more information, contact Lola Bobrowski at 603-756-2988 ext.115 or email at lola@cheshireconservation.org
—Cheshire County Conservation District
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