08/31/2026
Earlier this year, I was approached by the executive Director of FarmBridge, a nonprofit with the mission of bringing locally farmed, nutrient dense food to the students of the Mahoning Valley by facilitating, the connection between farms and school districts, to see if we would be willing to participate in their inaugural program.
she was working with South Range school district in Columbiana to offer breakfast made with real food sourced from local farms. The administration of SRSD believes, like we do, that if kids have a healthy nutrient dense breakfast, they are more likely to thrive in all aspects of their school day, academically, behaviorally, and socially.
I enthusiastically replied “YES” before we even worked out the details. I am thrilled to share with you that the details have fallen in place beautifully. As the above parent information flyer states, SRSD will be serving breakfast of pasture, raised, non-GMO sausage and eggs twice per week to their students for 10 weeks this fall. Our hope is at the end of this “experiment” the benefits of eating this breakfast will be so obvious that the students and employees demand that it continue.
I have been a critic of school lunch programs since my kids were in school. Seeing low-fat, highly processed foods being offered/mandated was terrifying to me, a physician. I have no doubt that what we feed our school children is contributing to much of the academic and behavioral challenges, but so many schools are facing.
this is why this program is so encouraging. The message about real food, raised right is getting out! Starting young children on this path is a giant step in the right direction, even if it’s only a few days per week (for now). Stay tuned for more details as the school year progresses. We are currently planning a field trip for the students to visit us at the farm. What an amazing opportunity for them to connect to and learn from the land, animals, people, and communities at Terra Verde Farms.
