WaveCrest Cafe Celebrates National Farm to School Month
October is National Farm to School Month, a time to celebrate the connections happening all over the country between local schools and local food.
Vista Unified’s WaveCrest Cafe has been a leader in Farm to School in San Diego and across the country, and we’re thrilled to build on that reputation. Each October, schools, early childhood education sites, farms, communities, and organizations across the country and U.S. Territories join in the celebrations.
In 2010, The National Farm to School Network advocated for the creation of National Farm to School Month by Congress and now organizes the annual celebration with hundreds of partner organizations across the country.
What Is Farm to School?
The National Farm to School program emphasizes three main practices for schools:
• Source more food locally. This allows schools to offer students the freshest, tastiest, most nutrient-rich foods AND support local businesses.
• Conduct nutrition education. This action empowers students with knowledge about food, nutrition, wellness, and how to develop healthy food habits.
• Support school gardens. School gardens are dynamic learning spaces that not only teach children how food is grown and where food comes from but how students and families can grow their own food.
One of the best ways to support the Farm to School work WaveCrest Cafe already does is to have children eat more school meals. The more meals schools serve, the more resources are available to work with local, California-based farmers to bring in even more fresh, seasonal foods grown as close to our schools as possible.
Vista Schools Working With Local Farms
During the last school year (2023-24) WaveCrest Cafe served more than 200,000 lbs of fresh fruits and vegetables from local, California farms.
In addition to the dozens of farms from the Central Valley and northern California, WaveCrest works with several world-class farms in the surrounding area. Working with these farms, each of which is within 100 miles of our central kitchen, allows Vista schools to offer the freshest, tastiest food available while supporting local small businesses.
Among the local farms providing food for WaveCrest Cafe are:
Aziz Farms, Dassi Farms, Davis Farms, Dickinson Family Farms, Moonland Produce, Sage Mountain Farms, and Wallace Ranch
Farmers Markets for Farm-to-School Month
As part of celebrating Farm to School Month, WaveCrest Cafe is hosting farmers market events at five VUSD elementary schools between October 8-10. In addition to the October dates, every elementary school in the district will host a farmers market event during the school year. Through a fun and engaging lesson and sample farmers market, students will learn about different foods and where they come from. October will see farmers' markets at these schools:
October 8: Monte Vista Elementary
October 9: General Murray High School & Alamosa Park Elementary
October 10: Breeze Hill Elementary & T.H.E. Leadership Academy