By Local Food Alliance
Three weeks from today, the lobby of Hemingway Elementary School in Ketchum will be filled with boxes of juicy apples, crunchy carrots, sweet beets, savory squash and raw honey – all of it fresh from our local farmers.
It’s all part of the Hemingway FarmRaiser, a school fundraiser that benefits educational programs, local and regional producers, and our individual, economic and environmental health.
Now through Oct. 17, Hemingway students will take orders for homegrown and handcrafted products from Wood River Sustainability Center, Idaho’s Bounty, Kraay’s Market Garden and Kelley’s Canyon Orchard, among others. Products will be available on Oct. 26.
The Hemingway FarmRaiser represents a new paradigm in school fundraising campaigns. Due to high rates of childhood obesity and the known health risks of processed, nutrient-poor diets, schools across the nation are looking for better ways to raise money. Instead of selling unhealthy foods like candy, chocolate and cookie dough, FarmRaiser empowers students to connect their families with fresh, locally grown and prepared food, as well as the people who produce it.
When Hemingway parents first implemented FarmRaiser three years ago, they had no idea if it would succeed. But the response from students, parents, teachers, friends and neighbors has been incredible. Last year’s Hemingway FarmRaiser brought in $8,500 for the school – more than any other organization on FarmRaiser’s platform, according to FarmRaiser founder Mark Abbott.
“It’s great to see the entire [Wood River Valley] community pitching in to both supply and buy Idaho products to support this school,” Abbott says. “Hemingway’s success is exactly what I hoped to see when we founded FarmRaiser.”
To support the Hemingway FarmRaiser, contact any Hemingway Elementary student. Or, visit the online store: Go to FarmRaiser.com and search for 2016 Hemingway FarmRaiser.
To see the Hemingway FarmRaiser in action, go to www.vimeo.com/147806697.
Local Food Alliance is a nonprofit whose mission is to create a vibrant local food system in the Wood River Valley. For more information, visit www.localfoodalliance.org.