Last weekend, Eat Real’s CEO Nora LaTorre and Board Member Miguel Villareal celebrated Earth Day at a special event hosted by California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newson at the gorgeous Soil Born Farms in Sacramento.
The event was intended to highlight California’s Farm to School program and make the connection between food, health, and climate change. Since its launch in 2021, California’s first-in-the-nation Farm to School program has impacted more than 1.5 million students, 160 school districts, and 50 farms.
Other visionary attendees at the event included Chez Panisse and Edible Schoolyard Project founder Alice Waters, labor leader and activist Dolores Huerta, state Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, state Sen. Kevin McCarty, and California’s Surgeon General, Diana Ramos.
A few highlights from the day:
California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom addressed the potential of healthier, more sustainable school meals to address climate change head on.
“Farm to school will have a real impact on California’s ability to address climate change. Not to mention our kids and communities future well-being.”
Eat Real Board Member and Interim Co-Executive Director of the National Farm to School Network Miguel Villareal reflected on the current momentum of Farm to School programming in California.
“Nora and I I were in Washington, DC for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health with about 800 passionate real food advocates last September. The underlying message was that we need to build more partnerships with each other, communities, businesses, healthcare, government, nonprofit groups, etc. The Earth Day event on Saturday was a clear indication that California is well on their way to make it happen!”
Eat Real is proud to be part of the growing movement to foster connections between farmers and schools. These relationships frequently result in healthier school meals being served to students. Together, we can nourish the future!
