Portsmouth, NH— Hannaford donated $10,000 to the CLIPPERS Farm to School program at the Little Harbour Elementary School in Portsmouth, NH.
“Hannaford believes strongly that by bringing a deeper connection and understanding of the world around us—from how plants grow to where food comes from, we will plant the seeds for kids to form lifelong healthy eating habits,” said Maile Buker, Vice President of Marketing at Hannaford. “Introducing kids early on to local, healthy, and tasty food and helping people live healthier lives are some of the underpinnings of our business at Hannaford. And we are proud to support the CLIPPERS program in their efforts to bring the love, knowledge, and experience of gardening to the classroom.”
The donation is a district-wide gift to the CLIPPERS program and will be used among the six Portsmouth schools for soil, seeds, fencing, and irrigation systems. Since May 2016, all schools in the Portsmouth School District have gardens to grow and learn in. CLIPPERS is part of a national Farm to School movement that introduces kids to locally grown, farm-fresh food right in their school.
“Our school gardens, across the district at all six schools, are a place where all students have access to growing fresh and nutritious food, and where we connect curriculum standards with hands-on learning. Students learn science, math, technology, engineering, history, equity, art, and so much more through experiencing where food comes from, how, and the work that is involved by us and a thriving environment,” said Kate Vellucci program coordinator for the CLIPPERS Farm to School Program in the Portsmouth School District, and Nutrition Department. “We are deeply grateful that Chef Matt Louis and the team at Hannaford took an interest in our gardens and our learning. Hannaford’s contribution will grow our district-wide capacity by getting more students out into the gardens learning, and more harvests into our school cafeterias.”
The donation was a part of the day’s events that included third graders from the Harbour School building pea trellises and making pea salad with the help of James Beard semifinalist chef Matt Louis of Moxy and the Franklin.
“The CLIPPERS program is remarkable in the way that they connect students with growing food and nutrition. Supporting this program as part of the Hannaford Chef’s Table is a great way to share our passion for tasty fresh food and for strengthening our communities,” said chef Matt Louis. “Spreading the message that all children should have access to nutritious food—like the food that’s being grown in these gardens is what it’s all about.”
Hannaford Chef’s Table is a partnership between six prominent chefs who share Hannaford’s passion for great fresh food and for strong local communities. The Chef’s Table partnership focuses attention on serious community problems such as child hunger and works to address those needs. Together, the chefs and Hannaford come together through Chef’s Table to spread the message that all children should have access to the nutritious food they need.
###
About Hannaford Supermarkets
Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 181 stores in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Hannaford employs more than 26,000 associates. Additional information can be found at www.hannaford.com.
