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Rainbow Schools participate in Eat Local Day
Rainbow District School Board
Chartwells
Eat Local Sudbury
Rainbow Schools participate in Eat Local Day
Rainbow Schools participated in Eat Local Day on Thursday, January 22, 2015 as Rainbow District School Board continues to focus on education for sustainable development. Secondary school cafeterias, which are operated by Chartwells, offered a special menu of bocconcini penne with butternut squash, roasted red potatoes, multi-coloured carrots and dip, and apples with maple syrup from locally sourced ingredients.
“Our featured dish included various Thornloe cheeses, local garlic from Gerber Farms in Warren, Ontario-grown tomatoes and locally grown vegetables. Other local options included Don Poulin Potatoes from Azilda, Ontario apples, rainbow carrots, and local maple syrup from Sucrerie Seguin in Lavigne,” said Brent Gervais, Food Hub Sales Coordinator with Eat Local Sudbury Co-operative Inc.
Eat Local Sudbury is a co-operative grocery store and distributor of local foods primarily grown on farms within a 150 mile radius of Sudbury, and from within Ontario. “Eat Local is dedicated to increasing awareness around local food through various means of education,” added Brent Gervais. “This partnership with Rainbow District School Board is a great step towards local food literacy for the region.”
“Our signature bocconcini pasta dish, inspired by Celebrity Chef Corbin, was created in an effort to foster healthy, delicious food choices among students, connecting them with the food they eat,” said Mary Webb, District Manager for Chartwells. “Anytime we can support students in learning about the importance of local foods and healthy eating, we’re happy.”
“Food miles are a common term for a measure of how far food travels before it reaches our plate and any reductions in those distances reduces our carbon footprint or the amount of fossil fuel consumed to sustain our lifestyle,” said Principal David Wiwchar, a member of the Rainbow District School Board’s Environmental Education Committee.
“We asked all schools to share announcements, invite students to consider the Eat Local Day menu in secondary school cafeterias, and encourage students to pack local food in their lunches, whether berry jam from summer picking, items from the garden or ice fishing trips, or something local from the grocery store.” He added: “Everything we eat that is close to home has taken less fuel to ship and supports our community farmers and gardeners.”
Eat Local Day was part of a series of monthly environmental education initiatives in Rainbow Schools.
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Media Contact:
Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.
Rainbow Schools participated in Eat Local Day on Thursday, January 22, 2015. Secondary school cafeterias, which are operated by Chartwells, offered a special menu from locally sourced ingredients. From left are Brent Gervais, Food Hub Sales Coordinator with Eat Local Sudbury Co-operative Inc.; Mary Webb, District Manager for Chartwells; and Kali Mason, Student Parliament Prime Minister at Sudbury Secondary School.
“Eat Local is dedicated to increasing awareness around local food through various means of education. This partnership with Rainbow District School Board is a great step towards local food literacy for the region,” says Brent Gervais. “Our signature bocconcini pasta dish, inspired by Celebrity Chef Corbin, was created in an effort to foster healthy, delicious food choices among students, connecting them with the food they eat. Anytime we can support students in learning about the importance of local foods and healthy eating, we’re happy,” adds Mary Webb.