Fighting child hunger at the farmers market
Author: Marita Herkert-Oakland, manager of the Child and Adult Care Food Program

Thanks to support from the ConAgra Foods Foundation’s Community Impact Grant, the Community Coordinated Child Care Child and Adult Care Food Program (4-C Food Program) held its inaugural Farm to Child Farmers Market to bring fresh, seasonal, local produce to Wisconsin’s children.

The 4-C Food Program, part of the National School Lunch Act, reimburses family child care providers for feeding healthy meals to children.  With all of the national attention on child nutrition and hunger, this event brought child care providers, community members, vendors, and producers together to help combat childhood hunger and promote child wellness in our own community.

The day of the Farmers Market brought us perfect weather, setting the stage for a wonderful event!  Nine local farmers and producers participated in the event along with a local garden center, master gardeners, and master preservers.  The children who attended got a chance to meet their local farmers, plant a bean to grow at home and try some new and different produce, like purple carrots and Sungold tomatoes!

This event also kicked off the 4-C Food Program’s Tots at the Table project.  With help from the ConAgra Foods Foundation, throughout the next year we will bring nutrition education, child wellness trainings, and outreach to more than 650 family child care providers across 20 Wisconsin counties, reaching more than 5,000 children.

Photo Credit: The above photo is used with permission of the 4-C Food Program.