Welcome!

This is the very first post for the Dig Real Food! blog.

This summer, something very exciting is happening out at Fed Hock Middle School in Stewart, Ohio. Several organizations are working together on this USDA-sponsored Summer Feeding Site Program. Athens-based Community Food Initiatives (CFI), Ohio University's Kids on Campus, Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks, and Americorps/VISTA are all teaming up to provide a program dubbed "Be Bold: Real Food!" that focuses on providing fresh, nutritious food for youth in grades 1-11. The students will receive two meals a day, prepared in-house; nothing is coming off a GFS truck! We are very fortunate to receive donations of food through the CFI Donation Station (located at the Athens Farmers Market), as well as from other area entrepreneurs.

CFI's June 16 press release adds:
"Through prepared lessons, field trips, guest presentations and hands-on gardening and kitchen activities, children will learn what 'real' food is, how to grow it, where to buy it locally and how to prepare it. The children will prepare the noontime meal for all participants at the site.
They will learn about healthy lifestyle choices, nutritional education and will participate in physical education as well as related arts & crafts activities."

This blog will detail some of our daily activities, mostly focusing on the food we (and the students!) are preparing and serving. Hopefully, the fun we are having and all that we are learning will show through on this blog. All of us here working on this project, whether we're technically working for CFI, Kids on Campus, or Americorps/VISTA, are very excited to get this program off the ground and see what wonderful things we can cook up this summer!

Stay tuned...in the next post, we frantically try to get ready!