Seed-to-Table Program sprouts again

Spring is here - which means soil in the Seed-to-Table farm plot in Sisters is warming up and ready to plant.

This spring Audrey Tehan, director of the Sisters Seed-to-Table program, with the help of her staff and students, has prepared a new one-acre farm plot for use for the Seed-to-Table program to grow produce for the school lunches, food bank, and to sell to the community, so they can start generating some revenue to come back into the program.

Last Wednesday, March 11, Sisters Seed-to-Table partnered with the Heart of Oregon Corps to provide farm-based education, and are helping to build the long-awaited greenhouse, destroyed by the early snow storm in late 2014. It will rise again this spring at the high school. Students from all three Sisters schools, as well as the Heart of Oregon Corps, will christen the new farm plot with laughter, scientific inquiry, nutrition lessons, fun times digging in the soil and preparing for planting. 

Plans are in the works to have over 200 students involved in the program this spring, growing healthful produce for school lunches and the Kiwanis Food Bank. 

Thanks to a grant from the Oregon Community Foundation, Zac Chapman will be coming on board to serve as the farm manager to help expand farm-based education in Sisters and to infuse the community with nutritious, locally-grown produce.

Tehan says, "Chapman brings a contagious passion for working with youth as well as an amazing eye for managing an educational farm. He has enjoyed teaching adolescents at the Boys and Girls Club and at the Farm and Wilderness Foundation."  

Born in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Chapman made his way west after graduating from Colorado College with a degree in philosophy. He first became passionate about food systems and agriculture after helping manage a community supported agriculture program in his home town. The following summer he co-managed the Colorado College Farm. 

In that role, Chapman deepened his understanding of small-scale, sustainable farming, found a path sharing his love for food and the outdoors with community members.  

He believes that, "While the farm can create delicious food, it is also a venue for civic engagement, a canvas for artistic projects that heal and strengthen community."

Tehan says she is thrilled to welcome him to the Sisters community, is looking forward to implementing his considerable talents to make the program run smoothly and reach more students.

Tehan knows an hour in a garden education program can make a difference for months or even years in a child's life - because she has seen it happen again and again. When she watched the Seed-to-Table program's fourth-graders dusting soil from their hands and devouring raw beets and kale right from the ground - with huge smiles on their faces - she knew she was doing something right.

Doctors, nutritionists, teachers, parents and many more people watching the diet of young people across the nation are making the connections between involving students in growing food and their willingness to even think about eating that salad or carrot with hummus.

Tehan says, "These leaps towards developing healthy eating habits can only help students emerge from our community with the knowledge of healthy eating habits in the midst of the rising national epidemic of obesity, heart disease and much more."

A study cited recently in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association stated, "Sixth-grade students involved in a garden-based nutrition education program increased their fruit and vegetable consumption by 2.5 servings per day, more than doubling their overall fruit and vegetable consumption."

Tehan and Chapman's goal for the students will be to develop healthy eating habits while helping to feed their community.

"I know it will once again be a beautiful process, and wish to thank everyone for the support and help in increasing the health of our community," Tehan said.