Children take Summer Farm Fresh Challenge
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
Milk moustaches, watermelon rolling contests, and tomato seed planting were all part of a lineup of activities on Tuesday in the cafeteria of Fairview/Miss Jewell Elementary School.
The campus is one of several summer feeding program locations in Copperas Cove, and as part of the program, the Copperas Cove Independent School District’s Child Nutrition Department brought the Farm Fresh Challenge to the campus.
Melissa Bryan, Child Nutrition Department director, said that Tuesday morning’s fun – which included a visit from Borden’s Elsie the Cow – was similar to what CCISD does on Fridays during the school year.
“Every Friday we have something called Farm Fresh Friday, when we take our cart to schools and we showcase a different produce item from the state of Texas, focusing on local agriculture,” Bryan said. “Today we are wrapping it up. The Texas Department of Agriculture threw out a challenge and we accepted it for our summer feeding program.”
Tuesday’s highlight focused on Village Maria Farms and Warren Farms, both of which are Texas farms that supplied the district with produce that was served on Tuesday.
Borden Milk also gets its milk from 11 dairy farms in Texas Bryan said, the milk it provides to CCISD for the Child Nutrition Program.
During the first week of the summer feeding program, a little more than 1,400 free meals were served to kids 18 and under at six sites across the area, Bryan said.
Jehnna Bowen brought her daughter, Lily, and niece, Kaylee, to the campus for lunch on Tuesday.
The two proudly wore matching dresses with a farm theme made by their grandmother. Lily is entering prekindergarten and Kaylee is in kindergarten for the upcoming school year.
“This is great. It’s my first time bringing them to lunch today,” Bowen said, adding that the girls picked out the dresses especially for the Farm Fresh day.
Both girls also sported milk moustaches which they applied prior to watermelon rolling contests on the stage of the cafeteria.
After rolling watermelons and planting tomato seeds, children lined up for a hotdog lunch that also included servings of farm-fresh sliced watermelon and sliced tomatoes, as well as milk.
Adults, parents, grandparents are also welcome to have breakfast and/or lunch, with meals costing $2.50 for breakfast and $3.55 for lunch at all locations. Both breakfast and lunch are served at Fairview-Jewell Elementary, S.C. Lee Junior High, Copperas Cove Junior High School, ASYMCA at City Park. Lunch only is served at the ASYMCA, 501 Clara Dr., and Southern Hills Baptist Church, 2920 S. F.M. 116. For more information about mealtimes and menus, visit the district’s Child Nutrition Department webpage at CCISD.com.