Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2014 09:49:23 -0500
From: Abundance Foundation
Subject: Revolutionizing School Lunches in rural North Carolina – Monday, January 13 at Library
breakfasts, how can schools afford to serve locally grown, sustainably
produced food?If we’re concerned about the epidemic of childhood obesity, why do we offer
cupcakes and other unhealthy options in school cafeterias?
The Abundance Foundation’s upcoming Cafeteria Man Expert Panel Discussion
on January 13th at Chatham Community Library aims to answer these questions
(event info below). The panel features some heavy hitters in the North
Carolina’s realm of healthy food access to discuss the documentary
Cafeteria Man and how we can revolutionize the way we serve school lunches
in our 17 public schools in Chatham County, and beyond.
Short clips will be shown from documentary Cafeteria Man, a film focused on
the transformation of Baltimore Public School’s lunch and breakfast
program, followed by a panel discussion including: Tony Geraci (“Cafeteria
Man”), Alice Ammerman DrPH, RD (Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of
Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill), Debbie Roos (Chatham County
Agricultural Cooperative Extension), Meredith Leight (Farmer/Owner of
Granite Springs Farm), Heather Barnes (NC Department of Agriculture), and a
middle School Student from Chatham County.
Abundance Foundation is bringing this enlightened and outside-of-the-box
fellow, Tony Geraci, to Chatham County to discuss with local stakeholders
how we might look at child nutrition in a different light. The panel will
discuss the challenges we face here in North Carolina, hear from the
nutrition staff and the agricultural community, and leave with some fresh
ideas of tackling the huge issues in child nutrition.
The Cafeteria Man event is a piece of Abundance Foundation’s overall
Children’s Sustainability program, which includes Chef Challenge projects
(started in 2011) to improve school lunches and awareness about healthy
eating and local food access in Chatham County, along with their ongoing
kid’s sustainability tours helping youth learn hands-on about renewable
energy and sustainable agriculture.
Anthony Geraci, or Tony as he is called by his peers, is a chef and Food
Service Consultant. He is the former Director of Food and Nutrition for
Baltimore public schools. Tony is a native of New Orleans and a third
generation restaurateur who did a traditional apprenticeship with four star
hotels and restaurants in the U.S. Tony’s inspiration for cooking comes
from helping his grandmother in the kitchen as a child.
Tony is currently the Director of Nutrition Services for Shelby County
Schools, TN where he serves over 160,000 children in 221 schools. Since his
arrival, the Breakfast in the Classroom program has more than doubled. He
has implemented the At-Risk Supper Meal Program which provides meals to
after school programs. The At-Risk Supper Program is the first for the
State of Tennessee. Tony has expanded the Farm to School program as well.
Schools are serving more locally grown produce as a direct result of his
grass roots efforts. Fresh fruits and vegetables are offered as a healthy
choice for all children every day. Chef salads are made fresh daily and
delivered to all school sites from the central kitchen that Tony oversees.
The central kitchen bakes bread from scratch and various cook-chill items.
Tony has been a trailblazer for providing healthier options for children.
His mission is to place healthy children in front of educators ready to
learn.
The Abundance Foundation, headquartered in Pittsboro, brings people
together to create more resilient North Carolina communities through local
food, renewable energy, community events, and any way we can.
EVENT INFO:
Cafeteria Man Expert Panel Discussion
January 13th, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Chatham Community Library, Mary Hayes Holmes Room
197 North Carolina 87
Pittsboro, NC 27312
RSVP (limited seating available!):
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/