On June 3, Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan is leading a unique collaboration that will provide free meals to about 900 students and teachers in the province.
The program is called 鈥楤reakfast From the Farm鈥� and was initially planned as a day for consumers to come out to a farm setting to enjoy a breakfast made with local ingredients and tour agricultural displays. But with Covid restrictions, says Clinton Monchuk, Executive Director of Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan, 鈥渨e had to get creative about how to deliver information about Saskatchewan food and farming in a safe and fun way.鈥�
How it will work is that a local Tim Hortons will deliver a hot egg sandwich and drink to each of four schools in Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon and Yorkton, similar to the hot lunch programs that already exist in some schools. Farm & Food Care will also deliver a bag for each student with additional snacks, recipes, pencils and activities showcasing Saskatchewan-grown foods. Farm & Food Care is also coordinating a series of interactive online activities such as virtual farm tours and agriculture trivia contests for students to learn more about Saskatchewan food and farming.
鈥淥ur objective with this project is first and foremost to feed kids,鈥� says Monchuk, who is also a grain and egg farmer himself. 鈥淲e also want to make the connection between foods we鈥檙e eating and the farms that produce those foods.
鈥淥ur students are excited to learn about food grown here in Saskatchewan,鈥� says Susan Muir, Grade 4/5 teacher at Dr. Brass School in Yorkton. 鈥淐onnecting children to where their food comes from provides opportunities to learn about the importance of healthy eating and food sustainability. Hands-on experiences like gardening can create and foster wonder, while teaching about becoming stewards of our environment.鈥�
Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan wants kids and teachers to understand that farmers in our province are growing many of the foods served at local restaurants and stores as well as exported to customers around the world.
鈥淲hen people have questions about their food and how it was grown or processed, we hope they ask a farmer or a processor or food scientist鈥攐r reach out to a group like Farm & Food Care or Agriculture in the Classroom. It鈥檚 our job to provide straight answers to questions about food and farming.鈥�
Led by Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan and presented by the Saskatchewan Egg Producers, Breakfast From the Farm is a collaboration with Saskatchewan Cattlemen鈥檚 Association, Canola Eat Well, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, SaskOats, Grain Millers, SaskMilk and Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan.
听
