In spring 2010, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) will launch new kid’s versions of its popular materials: the Local Food Guide and Local Food —Thousands of Miles Fresher bumper sticker. The sticker will be scaled down for a bike, and the kid-size guide will feature special contents and activities. “We want to give kids positive experiences with local food so they’ll form healthy eating habits,” says Emily Jackson of ASAP. “These fun materials — designed just for kids — make good choices appealing.”

Publication of the local food bumper sticker and Local Food Guide for kids is made possible by funding from the Community Benefits Program of Mission Hospital.

The new, ninth annual edition of ASAP’s Local Food Guide, listing hundreds of family farms and businesses that use local ingredients, will also be available around the region in spring 2010. Both guides are free. The kid’s Local Food Guide is unique in its focus on Buncombe County—and kids.

The kid’s guide will highlight ways children can access local food: in school cafeterias—including the Asheville City and Buncombe County public schools’— as well as at school gardens, farmers markets, and farms offering tours and other kid friendly experiences. The guide will profile regional farmers and their children, so kids can see who grows their food—and that kids like them play a role in the local food system. The kid’s Local Food Guide will also include activities, such as farmers market scavenger hunts and recipes kids can make themselves, to encourage them to become the next generation of local farm supporters.

To help teachers use information about local food and farms in the classroom, ASAP will offer free lesson plans to complement the guide. ASAP also provides many other curriculum materials; guidance on how to serve local food in cafeterias and establish school gardens; and cooking kits, seeds, and other resources. “If you are interested in Farm to School programming, go to our website www.growing-minds.org. Winter is a great time to plan,” Jackson urges.

The kid’s guide and bike bumper stickers will be distributed to all elementary schools in Asheville City and Buncombe County school systems, as well as to the Buncombe County Health Center and the Department of Social Services. Please contact Program Coordinator Molly Nicholie at molly@asapconnections.org or 828-236-1282 for resources, or to share ideas for content related to local food for the kid’s guide.

ASAP is the Southeast regional lead agency for the National Farm to School Network (www.farmtoschool.org).

ABOUT THE APPALACHIAN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROJECT
ASAP is helping to rebuild the local economy, preserve rural land and heritage, encourage sustainable agricultural practices, and increase access to fresher, healthier foods. We work to keep farmers farming and to reconnect people with their food. We involve businesses, shoppers, chefs, children, seniors, healthcare providers, teachers, and all community members in the local food movement.Read the full article