Eating out next Wednesday?  What easier way to support Decatur’s Farm-To-School program than to pull up a chair at many of Decatur’s finest eateries?  ‘What easier way?!”, I ask.

Full list of restaurants included in the graphic above.

With the first week of the school year coming to a close, this seems a fitting time to share this great video about CSD’s lunch program posted on YouTube by the Wylde Center.

Congrats to CSD faculty, staff and all students on their first week of school!

Here are the details…

Decatur Farm to School’s main fundraiser is tonight from 5pm to 9pm at a variety of restaurants throughout the city, including: Brick Store Pub, Cakes & Ale, The Iberian Pig, Farm Burger, Lawrence’s Cafe, Leon’s Full Service, Matador Cantina, Raging Burrito, Sapori di Napoli, Steinbeck’s, Universal Joint, and Wahoo! Grill. A portion of every purchase during that time will be donated to Decatur Farm to School to support programs like the taste tests, school gardens and cafeteria nutrition. T-shirts and raffle tickets will also be sold at most of the locations. Come enjoy a night out in Decatur tonight with your family and support a great cause!

Judy reminds us that dining out for Decatur Farm to School is just around the corner….

Enjoy a quick and delicious meal at a participating restaurant and a percentage of the proceeds will be donated to Decatur Farm to School (DF2S) to sustain its mission of integrating fresh, whole, locally produced foods into the City of Decatur school community’s classrooms and cafeterias.

This event has now become a wonderful tradition that supports the City Schools of Decatur’s efforts to teach our children the importance of their health and well-being.

Don’t forget the awesome prizes that are always raffled off, so be sure to purchase your raffle tickets when you go out to enjoy your evening with families and friends.

Thank you for your support!

Our fabulous list of partners includes

• Cakes & Ale

• Iberian Pig

• Farm Burger

• Leon’s Full Service

• Brick Store Pub

• Sapori di Napoli

• Steinbeck’

• Universal Joint

• Oakhurst Market

• Wahoo! Grill

• Raging Burrito

Kristin writes in…

The Decatur Farm to School Fall Dine Out will be held Tuesday, October 16, 2012 from 7-11am for breakfast/coffee spots and 5-9 pm for dinner/dessert restaurants. The theme for our Fall Dine Out is ‘Fast and Fresh!’ Enjoy a quick and delicious meal at a participating restaurant and a percentage of the proceeds will be donated to Decatur Farm to School (DF2S) to sustain its mission of integrating fresh, whole, locally produced foods into the City of Decatur school community’s classrooms and cafeterias.

Participating restaurants include The Bakery at Cakes & Ale (5-9pm), Community Q, Farm Burger, Kitsch’n 155, Mellow Mushroom Pizza, Oakhurst Market, Raging Burrito, Revolution Doughnuts, Rise-N-Dine, Sugar Moon Bake Shop, and Yogurt Tap. Little Shop of Stories will also be donating a portion of their evening sales to DF2S.

As a part of the Dine Out, we will be sponsoring a raffle with great prizes from local restaurants and businesses – including The Bakery at Cakes & Ale, Community Q, the Farm Mobile, Kavarna, Little Shop of Stories, Oakhurst Market, Raging Burrito, Rise-N-Dine, the Wylde Center, and more. Funds raised will go toward supporting teacher workshops, kitchen trainings for our cafeteria partners, classroom and garden projects, and student taste tests. Please spread the word and be sure to take family, neighbors, and friends out for a nice meal to celebrate a great cause, support our local businesses, and enjoy delicious food. DF2S is a branch of the Wylde Center.

Visit us at http://www.decaturfarmtoschool.org/.

Stephanie at the Oakhurst Community Garden sends along this reminder…

Save the date! Decatur Farm to School Dine Out will be held Tuesday, January 31, 2012 from 5-9 p.m. Dine out at a select area restaurant that evening and a percentage of the proceeds will be donated to Decatur Farm to School (DF2S) to sustain its mission of integrating fresh, locally produced foods into the City of Decatur school community’s classrooms and cafeterias.  Participating restaurants include Brick Store Pub, Iberian Pig, Cakes & Ale, The Yogurt Tap, Leon’s Full Service, The Square Pub, Universal Joint, Steinbeck’s, Farm Burger, McGowan’s Oakhurst Pub, Sapori di Napoli, and Mac McGee. 

New this year is a raffle with great prizes from Riverview Farms and more.  Tickets will be sold during the Dine Out and winners will be contacted after the event.  Funds raised will go toward supporting teacher workshops, kitchen trainings for our cafeteria partners, classroom and garden projects, and student taste tests.   Please spread the word and be sure to take family, neighbors, and friends out for a nice evening to celebrate a great cause, support our local businesses, and enjoy delicious food.  DF2S is a branch of the Wylde Center, formerly the Oakhurst Garden Community Project. Visit us at www.decaturfarmtoschool.org.

I admit that two months is more than a lifetime when it comes to fresh produce – aside from those durable winter squashes –  but I think this story has a long enough shelf-life to still mention.  From Decatur Farm-to-School’s website…

City Schools of Decatur received funding from the Great American Salad Bar Project for three new salad bars valued at $3000 each. The new portable salad bar kits will be installed at Glennwood Academy, Renfroe Middle School, and Decatur High School this semester. The middle and high schools introduced limited salad bars this fall, however the new equipment will allow these schools to offer full salad bars every day. Glenwood does not currently have a salad bar. “The new salad bars are a perfect fit for our Farm to School efforts: we can use them to introduce a variety of fresh and local produce,” says Allison Goodman, Director of School Nutrition. “Besides,” she adds, “students really enjoy customizing their salads.”

The Great American Salad Bar Project, an initiative of TheLunchbox.org and Whole Foods Market, aims to put a healthy salad bar in every school across America so all school kids may have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins, every school day.

Decatur Farm to School is a grassroots effort led by parents, teachers, school administrators, community members and organizations. Farm to School programs connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, and providing health and nutrition education opportunities that will last a lifetime. Decatur Farm to School is now a branch of the Oakhurst Community Garden Project.

The Oakhurst Community Garden Project (OCGP) teaches environmental awareness through hands-on gardening and outdoor education programs. The OCGP engages students in projects that address real needs, both at the Garden and through outreach projects in our schools and community centers. The OCGP has been instrumental in helping create the outdoor garden environments at many of the schools in Decatur.

I wonder if the Glennwood salad bar will be transferred to 5th Ave.

h/t: Neighbor Newspapers