Real Food For Kids Making a Splash in Fairfax County

Real Food For Kids Making A Splash In Fairfax County

Wed 19 Oct 2011

Story by Kathryn Luwis
 

Real Food For Kids is making a splash in Fairfax County by Organizing a National Food Day event on October 24, 2011 with Nationally-acclaimed Chefs Ann Cooper and David Guas headlining the event.

What started with a ‘Nutrition and Health Committee’ at one elementary school opened the flood gates for concerned Fairfax County parents everywhere. Sending your children to one of the best school systems in the country is a lot to be grateful for. But, what are the students being fed? That’s where ‘Real Food For Kids’ come in. Real Food For Kids is an education-based advocacy group of concerned Fairfax County parents who are stepping in to step up the quality of food being served in Fairfax County Schools. What started as a small group of parents has grown into a community-wide machine with the goal to make things happen.

Real Food For Kids has drafted a resolution for change which has been passed by many Fairfax County PTAs. The resolution calls for eliminating the high percentage of processed foods laden with dyes, artificial preservatives, and flavorings as well as trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup and excess sugar and salt. In FCPS schools, a hamburger alone has 40 ingredients. “Even McDonald’s hamburgers have only three ingredients. Shouldn’t a burger have just one---beef?” asks JoAnne Hammermaster, one of the founding members. An FCPS quesadilla has over 70 ingredients and, upon further review, many more examples pour forth.

Real Food For Kids aims to go beyond the recent changes made in accordance with the new USDA School Lunch Program guidelines issued this past January. While the changes were positive, they still fall short of what the group knows is “real”, whole food. In the 1980’s, FCPS cleaned up their school food, eliminating many of the very ingredients Real Food For Kids hopes to eliminate. “At the very least, we’d like to go back to the positive changes made [in FCPS] in the 80’s. It’s a shame Fairfax County has transitioned in this way. We can do better!” says Hammermaster.

In an effort to educate others, Real Food For Kids has built a website, www.realfoodforkids.org, with information about the movement, a link to sign a petition and a variety of related articles. The group sponsors educational events to make others aware of the wonderful possibilities of healthy food. The effort has been supported by members of the community, including local farmer Chris Guerre, of Maple Avenue Market, who has generously donated produce for various events, including a teacher appreciation luncheon at McLean High School in Fairfax County. Members of Real Food For Kids harvested baby salad greens and collected fresh eggs at Guerre’s farm. Local chef and restaurateur, Tim Ma, of Maple Avenue Restaurant, turned the harvest into beautiful salads for the teachers. The group has hosted other educational events for local elementary students, in schools and on the farm, hoping to educate the minds and palates of young schoolchildren. The local Whole Foods Market has been a supportive partner in these efforts.

On October 24th, the group will host their biggest event to date. Real Food For Kids is planning a county-wide National Food Day Event at Wolftrap Elementary in Vienna. The event will feature nationally-acclaimed Chef Ann Cooper, known as the Renegade Lunch Lady, and Chef David Guas, of Bayou Bakery, both activists in the healthy and sustainable food movement. Both Cooper and Guas will make a presentation to the Fairfax County School Board and candidates on how to get healthy, affordable food back into schools without increasing costs. At 2:30pm, the public event begins with Cooper and Guas working with school children to make a truck-full sized salad. Leading up to the event, participating PTAs will be using an educational packet in schools put together by Real Food For Kids as a way to promote National Food Day.

Real Food For Kids is excited by the momentum of their movement. Causes such as Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution have been inspirational and helpful to the group as they try to increase awareness of the need for change. “We are one of the largest school systems in the country. We can be a model to others to show that these changes can be made…cost-effectively,” says Hammermaster.

About the author: Kathryn Luwis is a founding member of Real Food For Kids who has always had an interest in the link between nutrition and wellness. She lives in McLean, Virginia with her husband and three teenage sons, who eat all day long. JoAnne Hammermaster is the PTA President at a local elementary in Fairfax County & heads up the Real Food For Kids group, she has a strong passion for physical fitness, race walking, and eating healthy!