Online lessons for busy cafeteria staff – made local!

Launching Local: Your Farm-to-School Guide shares practical, easy-to-follow lessons for preparing fresh, local foods.

Learn through hands-on recipes, helpful videos, and clear instructions. The program was created with feedback from regional school nutrition professionals! We make learning fun and straightforward. All six lessons are designed with your busy schedule in mind and should take no more than 25 minutes each to complete.
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This course will help you to:

  • PREPARE

    Prepare delicious meals kids like using fresh, local ingredients

  • UNDERSTAND

    Understand the importance of nutrition for growing students

  • BUILD

    Build on your skills with new, valuable training sessions

Course Curriculum

    1. Welcome!

    2. How to use this course

    3. Pre-Course Survey

    1. Lesson 1.1: Feed Our Future Program Overview

    2. Lesson 1.2: Leadership Council

    3. Meet the Leadership Council

    4. Lesson 1.3: Farm to School Bid

    5. Lesson 1.4: Harvest of the Month

    6. Lesson 1.5: Grower and Producer Storytelling

    7. Quiz

    1. Lesson 2: Grab & Go Menu Concepts

    2. Cafeteria Storytelling

    3. Recipes to Download

    4. Communications Toolkit

    5. Photography Tips for Social Media

    6. Engage Your Students

    7. Poll Your Students

    8. Quiz

    1. Lesson 3.1: Upcycle Your Produce

    2. Lesson 3.2: Upcycling Your Produce Recipes

    3. Recipes to Download

    4. Communications Toolkit

    5. Local Food Safety Deep Dive Resources

    6. Learn Knife Skills

    7. Engage Your Students

    8. Poll Your Students

    9. Quiz

    1. Lesson 4.1: Center of the Plate

    2. Lesson 4.2: Center of the Plate Recipes

    3. Recipes to Download

    4. Communications Toolkit

    5. Engage Your Students

    6. Poll Your Students

    7. Quiz

    1. Lesson 5.1: Grow With Grains

    2. Lesson 5.2: Taking Your Grains From Breakfast to Lunch

    3. Lesson 5.3: Grow With Grains Recipes

    4. Recipes to Download

    5. Communications Toolkit

    6. Local Grains Thermometer

    7. Engage Your Students

    8. Poll Your Students

    9. Quiz

About this course

  • Free
  • 52 lessons
  • 1.5 hours of video content

Meet Our Experts

Lessons have been crafted by experienced public health professionals who understand your busy schedules, demands, and goals.

Alison Patrick, MPH, RD, LD

Supervisor of Youth Health & Wellness, Cuyahoga County Board of Health Founder of Feed Our Future

Alison is an experienced public health professional with nearly two decades of experience. She launched Feed Our Future, the first farm-to-school program in Cuyahoga County, in 2010 and created a regional network of more than 70 school district partners engaged in farm-to-school programming! Alison also pioneered Ohio’s first farm-to-school bid in 2015, which led to a $2 million investment in the local and regional food system. Her efforts created economic opportunities for more than 30 local and regional food producers and makers.

Liz Manley, MPH, CHES

Program Manager of Early Childhood Health, Cuyahoga County Board of Health

Liz is a dedicated public health professional who specializes in early childhood health. She advocates for equitable access to local food, healthy environments, and quality resources for children in Northeast Ohio. Liz supports Feed Our Future’s efforts to create opportunities for small- to medium-sized growers and makers. She helps provide local food to children, especially those in historically underinvested and under-resourced areas.

Ali Guzik, MPH

Program Manager of Farm to School, Cuyahoga County Board of Health

Ali is passionate about increasing local food education and consumption in K-12 school districts through programming & cafeteria events. She helps connect local and regional producers and schools to increase local food procurement. Ali is committed to giving students more access to local, healthy food and helping them understand that their food can be grown here!

Are you ready to make an even bigger difference in students’ lives?

In six 25-minute modules, you'll get simple yet impactful ways to improve student nutrition and happiness.

  • How can you make grab & go options healthier? Learn to create quick & nutritious grab & go menu items that meet school meal patterns and appeal to students. We feature local foods in these popular options.

  • Why is reducing food waste necessary? Discover easy techniques to upcycle produce, extending the value of your local food investment. You'll learn kid-friendly prep & cooking methods that increase interest in fruits and veggies while reducing waste.

  • How can you make breakfast better? We help you build a better breakfast using local ingredients! You'll learn how to create exciting breakfast options with proper nutrition to fuel students for the day ahead.

You can help your students live healthier, happier lives through food!

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About Feed Our Future

Learn how our initiatives help transform school nutrition programs with the help of dedicated cafeteria staff like you!

Feed Our Future is dedicated to making fresh, local food accessible to ALL children, regardless of their school. Over the past decade, we've grown from serving one school district in Northeast Ohio to partnering with more than 66 districts across Ohio. Our mission is to build momentum in our communities, connecting schools with local food sources to improve student nutrition and well-being.
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