Fresh Take Blog
FoodPrints

Please fully fund FoodPrints – a gem in our city

By Ivy Ken  |  Mar. 12, 2021

Dear City Leaders:

I support the city’s investment in FRESHFARM FoodPrints. Both of my kids attended Tyler Elementary School and benefited ENORMOUSLY from the amazing programming designed and implemented by FoodPrints.

As a parent, before FoodPrints came along, I tried repeatedly to help get a garden going at the school, help the teacher incorporate lessons about fresh food into their curricula, help the kids connect with good food — and it was exhausting and ineffective. The gardening was fun, but we mostly had to do it on weekends. Teachers and kids appreciated our ad-hoc parent “help,” but we were honestly probably more of a bother than anything else.

THEN CAME FOODPRINTS! They just hooked it all up. They got the garden in shape. They got the kids involved on a regular basis and helped get them excited about it. They designed lessons that were a regular part of the rhythm of the school day. Even though the poor FoodPrints workers had to schlepp materials up and down stairs because Tyler had no workspace for them, they did it! And it worked! I’m going to attach a bunch of pictures because they just make me so happy.

If I won the lottery I would just hand over a huge check to FoodPrints, because they’re PERFECT. They really are. I’ve seen a lot of food-related organizations that have good intentions, good ideas, good people. But somehow they falter and fizzle. FoodPrints is the real deal. They know what they’re doing and they do it with excellence. I wish they could be in every school in the District and every school in the country!

My kids still cook the recipes they learned from FoodPrints — especially the ABC salad and the rubbed kale salad. (We’re talking about beets! And kale! Need I say more?)

Please fully fund this GEM in our city. It’s really an amazing organization. It’s money so well spent.

Sincerely,
Ivy Ken
Ward 7

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