Farm-to-School Innovations

Farm-to-School Innovation at West Valley School District (Yakima)

Representatives from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) visited the West Valley School District on “Taste Washington Day” to shine a spotlight how staff from West Valley play a leading role in connecting with Washington producers to bring local foods into their own schools — and they also lend sourcing support to ten other school districts in the region.

West Valley School District's commitment to Farm-to-School is deeply rooted in the passion and dedication of its Child Nutrition Director, Magieline Benedicto. Coming from a third-generation family farm in Wapato, Benedicto understands the importance of connecting students with locally-sourced foods. She uses funding from a WSDA Farm-to-School Purchasing Grant and access to local products through the OSPI Local Food for Schools program to provide students with nutritious meals made from fresh, Washington-grown produce, whole grains, low-fat dairy, beef, and seafood.

For this year’s Taste Washington Day, Benedicto and her team of dedicated cooks prepared white bean chili made with red bell peppers from Yakama Nation Farms. The chili is a community-submitted recipe that has become a popular menu item. District staff encourage parent and student involvement by allowing recipe submissions and taste-testing sessions. This interactive approach not only engages the community but also ensures that student preferences are taken into consideration when planning school menus.

In addition to the homemade chili, the day’s local menu featured breakfast parfaits made with yogurt from Grace Harbor Farms and homemade blueberry bread, cinnamon bread, and muffins made with flour from Cascade Milling. The lunchtime salad bar featured watermelon from Yakama Nation Farms and apples from Chelan Fresh.

West Valley School District takes an innovative approach to school nutrition, which has garnered national recognition. Recently, the District received the USDA Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award for its continuous efforts to enhance the nutritional quality of school meals through scratching cooking and local sourcing.

Reprinted from WSDA Newsletter