Description: The transformation of school food is long overdue.  Our two presenters will share two different approaches that are currently underway.  In the first, we’ll learn about California Thursdays, wherein participating school districts in that state serve locally grown, healthy foods in their cafeteria every Thursday.   Following that, we’ll learn about the Slow Cookers for Kids project where a partnership with the culinary arts program at a local community college, teaches grade 7-8 students how to shop and prepare inexpensive, healthy meals. Please be prepared to share your own ideas for transforming school food with all the participants in this upcoming session.

Jonathan Foley is the California Thursdays network coordinator at the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California.  For the past five years, he has been working within San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits promoting school food systems. His passion lies in enabling students to understand and engage with the food systems around them, thus allowing them to become informed and conscious stewards of our planet. He has a well-rooted sense of wonderment with the outdoors, where you will likely find him if he is not in the office.

Dan Hendry is the Sustainable Initiatives Coordinator at the Limestone District School Board in Kingston, Ontario. His “Slow Cookers for Kids” article was featured in Green Teacher #107, the Fall 2015 issue.