York, Pennsylvania – York Suburban Middle School hosted an award event to honor Farm-to-School grant receivers including Whitsons’ Food Service Director, Helen Heidler. York Suburban School District was among 30 awardees receiving grants of up to $1,000 to implement farm-to-school activities, such as student samplings of local produce, farm school trips, school garden activities and efforts to incorporate local produce in school meals. The funding is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) Division of Food and Nutrition.
Representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) visited York Suburban Middle School to announce the Farm-to-School grant winners. During the event, attendees and students sampled produce from several local farms in Pennsylvania, including Flinchbaugh’s Orchard, Millers Plant Farm, and Brogue Hydroponics.
“I am super excited to have received this farm-to-school grant. It will give our students a chance to sample locally grown produce prepared by our District Chef, Sean Arnold, with farm and nutritional information to go along with each event. Fresh is best,” said Heidler.
Whitsons Culinary Group, a leading foodservice management company that serves school districts throughout the northeast, strongly supports the Farm-to-School movement and has implemented programs in several school districts which incorporate local produce in school lunches.
“Whitsons has been working with the York Suburban school district for 5 years now, and we are very proud of the amount of local produce used. Helen and her team work diligently each year to add additional fresh and local products. Partnering with local farms like Flinchbaugh's Orchards has been a real pleasure,” said Craig Whitcomb, Regional Vice President for Whitsons Culinary Group.
About Whitsons Culinary Group
Founded in 1979, Whitsons Culinary Group® provides a wide range of highly customized dining services to public schools, corporations and institutions, with a strong focus on nutritious, high quality menus made from fresh, wholesome ingredients. Whitsons has a long and proud history of excellence and growth since 1979 and currently ranks as the 19th largest dining company in the United States (Food Management magazine, March 2015). Whitsons’ scope of expertise and services extends to: emergency dining, residential and healthcare dining, prepared meals, and school dining and services. For more information, please contact Jessica Z. Diaz, Public Relations and Marketing Manager diazj@whitsons.com, tel: 631-750-1428, or visit the company’s website at http://www.whitsons.com.
Source: Whitsons Culinary Group