Date: Wed, 2 May 2012 11:29:32 -0400
From: Jenny Schnaak
Subject: Two Tons of Local Sweet Potatoes in Chatham School Lunches
This year, The Abundance Foundation’s Chatham County Chef Challenge is pleased to announce a new partnership with a local farm. Chester Pilson, of C.V. Pilson Farm in Moore County, is providing over 2 tons of local sweet potatoes for this year’s Chef Challenge. Pilson’s sweet potatoes are GAP-certified, a certification that farms must attain in order to source produce to schools and other institutions.
The Pilson family farm in Cameron, NC is home to over 60 acres of conventional collards, conventional strawberries, and organic blueberries, in addition to their largest crop of all, conventional sweet potatoes. They grow sweet potatoes of all varieties and sizes, including the orange and creamy Beauregard, to the super-sweet Hatteras.
Chester Pilson is a man who has never missed a day of school. No kidding– all twelve certificates of “Perfect Attendance” hang framed in his office. Chester’s son, Cliff, represents the next generation of young farmers in North Carolina. He needs all the support he can get! That’s why The Abundance Foundation has helped C.V. Pilson Farm
partner with Chatham County Public Schools to bring their local sweet potatoes to the lunch trays of Chatham County youth, not only during Chef Challenge, but throughout the school year.
Chester never missed a day of school, and with fresh, local ingredients in school lunches, neither will the kids of Chatham County. The Abundance Foundation, Chatham County Schools and all the chefs involved this year thank Chester, Cliff and everyone at C.V. Pilson Farm for supporting Farm-to-School lunches!
If you would like to try some of the local sweet potatoes in the Chatham Chef Chef Challenge lunches, head to your local Chatham County School Cafeteria on May 3 or May 10.
The Abundance Foundation’s annual Chatham County Chef Challenge brings together high-profile chefs and school cafeteria staff to create healthier school lunches for Chatham County School students. The purpose of the Chef Challenge is to increase consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by students in grades pre K-12 while supporting GAP-certified local farms when possible. This project also works toward the Abundance Foundation’s mission of bringing greater education and access to local food to all families.
To contact C.V. Pilson Farm:
108 CVP Lane, Cameron, NC 28326
Office Phone: (910) 245-4285
For their NC Farm Fresh listing, click here:
http://www.ncfarmfresh.com/FarmMarketDisplay.asp?FarmID=3794
Jenny Schnaak
Development Director
The Abundance Foundation
(o) 919-533-5181
(c) 919-272-1041
220 Lorax Lane #5
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Building our local foodshed, modeling renewable energy and inspiring community.
http://www.theabundancefoundation.org