Luce Filiatrault is a nutrition educator in Gilbert Public Schools.
On any given day, she might have students sample dates on yogurt or smoothies with carrots.
“It was really something interesting because a lot of students didn’t know we could put vegetables in smoothies,” Filiatrault said laughing “Even some teachers were surprised.”
Filiatrault saw the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm To School grant program as an opportunity to expand the local, fresh, healthy food available to students.
“We also want to also assess ... the foods on our menus and in our recipes and see where is the food coming form and is there local vendors or local growers, farmers, that we could partner with,” Filiatrault said.
The USDA awarded the Gilbert school district a $50,000 planning grant. The Prescott Unified School District will also receive a grant through the same program.
Gilbert Public Schools also is looking for community volunteers to serve on a committee to help develop the district’s farm-to-school program. Anyone interested can email Filiatrault at [email protected].
