ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 30, 2024) ~ Annapolis, MD - Governor Wes Moore has officially declared September 30 - October 4, 2024 as Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week. This annual event, now in its 17th year, aims to promote the use of locally-sourced food in school lunches and educate students about where their food comes from.

The Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week is part of the larger Maryland Farm to School Program, which is a joint effort between the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Maryland State Department of Education. The program's goal is to bring fresh, nutritious foods into schools, provide hands-on learning experiences for students, and integrate food-related education into the curriculum.

School districts across the state will be participating in this week-long celebration by serving locally-sourced meals and providing educational materials to students. Some of the activities planned include:

- Frederick County Public Schools will be serving a variety of locally-grown foods such as apples from Catoctin Mountain Orchard, lettuce from Pleasant Hill Produce, tomatoes and broccoli from Chestnut Hill Farm and Market, pears from Moon Valley Farm, and milk from Dairy Maid Dairy.

- Calvert County Public Schools will feature local beef from Battle Creek Farm on their Beef Nacho Day on October 3.

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- Colonel Richardson Middle School in Caroline County will celebrate on October 3 with a menu featuring Maryland crab from JM Clayton and blue catfish cakes from Tilghman Island Seafood. Various produce items will also be provided by local farms such as Bartenfelder Farms and Blades Orchard.

- Maple Elementary in Dorchester County will have a mobile agriculture lab on site for the week. Choptank River Crab & Oyster Company will also be presenting to North Dorchester High School and providing samples of crab meat and crab balls.

- St. Mary's County Public Schools will have two schools participating in the celebration - Leonardtown Elementary on October 1 and Dynard Elementary on October 3. Both schools will serve grilled burgers with ground beef from local farms, corn on the cob, watermelon, and various vegetables.

The highlight of this year's Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week will be a celebration at Waverley Elementary School in Frederick County on October 2. An estimated 175 third grade students will attend an assembly featuring Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks, Frederick County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Cheryl L. Dyson, and apple producer Katelyn Robertson of Catoctin Mountain Orchards. Students will also have the opportunity to sample apples during lunch with the help of University of Maryland Extension SNAP-Ed.

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After lunch, students will have the chance to visit booths from organizations such as the American Dairy Association North East, the Frederick 4-H Club, the Frederick High School FFA chapter, and the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation. They will also participate in educational activities such as reading a story about food production and building their own "lunch trays" to match foods with their sources.

For those interested in learning more about local food options and resources for incorporating them into school meals, the Maryland Farm to School website offers Harvest of the Month posters, produce seasonality charts, menus, and a video soundbook with photos and interviews.

According to data from the 2019 U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm to School Census, Maryland schools spent over $19 million on local foods during the 2018-2019 school year. Additionally, more than 95% of schools in Maryland serve locally-sourced foods and nearly 97% participate in farm-to-school activities such as nutrition education and gardening. It is worth noting that Maryland was also the first state in the nation to have every public school system participate in Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week.

For more information about school meal programs in Maryland or details about Homegrown School Lunch Week events, please visit either the Maryland State Department of Education's website or the Maryland Department of Agriculture's website. Any questions or concerns can be directed to Karen Fedor at karen.fedor@maryland.gov or (410) 841-5773.

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