“We really worked together to rewrite the story of school meals and what it could look like. And we just kept saying it — all of us —and the legislators started to use the same messaging. We looked at rewriting the story that was originally being told that the quality of school meals was poor and people didn't want their children eating them. And after a year that has turned around. 

The story is now more around equity and collective responsibility; that every student should have access to the same things at school, whether it's education or food. And it really kind of countered this idea that individual parents should be responsible for feeding their kids. Because if you look at bussing, and sports, and Chromebooks, and everything else, that wasn't the case.”

–Vermont FEED Project Director Betsy Rosenbluth

 

This summer, the National Farm to School Network (NFSN) gathered universal meals advocates to share insights from their successes in passing Universal School Meals policies. 

As part of the Who's At the Table? School Meals Campaign, NFSN has been highlighting states that have successfully adopted universal meals. One important finding: the interdependence between farm to school initiatives, values-based purchasing, and successful universal meals campaigns.

In this webinar recording, learn about the states' similarities and differences in advocacy, policy design, and implementation approaches. After a brief presentation, a panel of coalition members who contributed to the case studies will share their own advocacy experiences, valuable lessons learned, and potential for replication. 

From Vermont, Vermont FEED Project Director Betsy Rosenbluth joins the panel, sharing the Vermont coalition’s* work to explain and advocate for the critical connections between universal school meals and farm to school programming.

Original webinar took place July 23, 2023. Read the English transcription.

*Including Hunger Free Vermont, the School Nutrition Association of Vermont and Vermont FEED. Vermont FEED coordinates the Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network.
 

Additional Webinar Resources from NFSN:

Links shared throughout the webinar: