The 13th Apostol

Eat Wise OKC Presents "What Bunnies Eat"

The Eat Wise committee, without a lick of help from "She who had no time", pulled together a phenomenal presentation to the 1st grade classes at Wilson Arts Integration School yesterday.

Watching these children become enthralled by vegetables, brought together in part by one of the teachers favorite books "Tops and Bottoms" by Janet Stevens, made it apparent a standard, circulating presentation like this is needed in each primary school in the district.

I watched the faces light up at the sight of a giant celery root, a shiny deep eggplant, the aroma of fresh asparagus, artichoke and fennel...their world opened up.

A child's knowledge expanded.
Senses were stimulated as all sixty 1st graders first saw, smelled, learned about, touched, and finally ate the vegetables on their plates.
When you educate a child's senses, something sticks for life.

Pulling the giant celery root from it's container yesterday, brought back the aroma's in my Greek Yia Yia's kitchen, the gardens I've plotted in the past, and the garden I'm plotting now.

The earth will sustain us if we utilize her gifts of abundance.

We can give a child a Nintendo DSi, or we can give them knowledge through expanded senses...and a hand spade. (or both with limitations)

I'm proud to be a member of a community of parents who believe things can change.

Local Parents Advocating For Their Children's Health and Nutrition

The vendor contract is up for bid for Child Nutrition Services.
Chartwells has carried the contract for the last five (count them) years.

This is a copy of the menu OKCPS children eat on a cyclical basis.

Download Elemluncmarch

Allegedly there will be an opportunity to have a new vendor set in place by July of this year. (cough, cough)

OKCPS Director of Purchasing was quoted as saying "selling a la carte items on the food service line brings in 'extra revenue' to fund the maintenance of school cafeteria equipment."  Some parents would argue that this money should come through the budgeting process.

"If there simply isn't any money available, there has to be a better way to raise it (PTAs, private/public grants) then selling cookies and chips to the 33,000 children in the OKCPS district who are receiving free or reduced lunch (their are 38,000 children total)."

New Orleans has the Edible Schoolyard, which includes The Kitchen Project a community OKCPS can only dream about at this time, some day coming to fruition.

Building these "Relationships" as you will, with the individuals in charge of feeding our children, is a matter of circumstance.
If enough parents cry out in awareness, rally to make changes "In the best interest of their children", this "Bidding Process" will be taken to heart.

The options are numerous, with 38 documented case studies of schools successfully altering they're nutritional service providers without falling short fiscally...and most importantly to the benefit of the children.

 Vermont Feed has established a farm-to-school program, whose mission statement:

 "Vfeed works with schools and communities to raise awareness about healthy food, the role of Vermont farms and farmers, and good nutrition. We act as a catalyst for rebuilding healthy food sys-tems, and to cultivate links between the classrooms, cafeterias, local farms, and communities."

In 2004 Congress made the pilot program, Produce for Better Health permanent...but it's only utilized in eight states and three Indian Territories.

In The OKCPS "Nutrition" is a Four Letter Word

After meeting with the OKCPS Superintendent last week, I've had time to reflect on some of the issues discussed.

Our PTA Committee offshoot group, has spent an enormous amount of time and energy in an attempt to rectify the nutrition problems within the OKCPS school lunch program. Politely, intelligently, and with consistent, but quiet efforts.

We were specifically asked to keep it out of the political arena.
Directly, and without abandon, the man in charge of overseeing our children's overall well being in the district...asked the group to keep in on the "Down Low"...

Well...how 'bout that?

Unfortunately I'm not a person capable of keeping anything on the "Down Low" regarding the lack of assertive action involving anything detrimental to children.

Having lived through bureaucratic corruption, I may always be a skeptic first. In other words, show me your words and actions sync and we can do business. If you're not looking me in the eye when you say "Yes", I'm bound to take that as a "No".

This "Let's not rock the boat" way of thinking, is hazardous to our children's immediate health as backed up by mounds of statistical evidence on early childhood nutrition.

With job losses at an all time high, the number of free or reduced meals within the school lunch program will sky-rocket. The summer programs will be utilized in record amounts, or God forbid cut all together.

Our children deserve better than the "Good Old Boy" network, of extended contracts with food service providers who barely cooperate with pro-active parents who politely, intelligently and with consistent, but quiet efforts...

Developed, through research on their own, a way to start implementing adequate nutrition for all children within the district. I DO believe the Superintendent has good intentions regarding, what I consider straving/poisoning of young bodies and minds.

We all know where good intentions will get us though.

Revolution Foods is an example of what the future of the OKCPS lunch program could be if enough parents united to represent a collective voice.

I want someone to tell me why not?