HEALTHY LUNCHES

Left to right, Nash?s Organic Produce workers Gary Sturdebant and Sam McCullough busily inspect the produce coming off of the conveyor belt.

By Joann Williams
Staff writer

When lunchtime rolls around, Sequim School District cafeterias may soon have healthier options for students to choose from, thanks to the members of Olympic Harvest.

Olympic Harvest comprises four representatives from Sequim Family Farms, LLC, Nash?s Organic Produce, DC Foods and Graysmarsh Farms.

Robert Converse, owner of DC Foods, said the group?s objective is to ?form an entity of local growers? to introduce nutritious, farm-fresh produce to the students.

Converse said Olympic Harvest recently applied for a  $1 million grant through University of Washington and Washington State University. But they won?t know until June 2007 whether they received the grant or not.

The grant, he explained, is awarded to a worthy nonprofit organization that does their part to support local agriculture while taking an active interest in environmental conservation as well.

?I think we accomplished that,? Converse said.  ?I think we hit the nail on the head.?

He elaborated by saying that gas emissions are reduced considerably because area farms don?t require the use of semis and added travel time to get their goods to Sequim schools.

The project helps maintain agriculture in the community and may spur future growth of farms in the valley, once others see that their produce can be marketed to the schools, Converse said.

Sequim School District?s food service provider Sodexho was ?all gung-ho,? he said. ?They?re totally supportive of the idea.?

Converse said the food supplier has created partnerships with countless other farmers around the United States, and the idea is not exclusive to Sequim.

Menu offerings may include items such as fresh berries, apples, applesauce and grated carrots at each school?s offering bar, as well as raspberry puree on cinnamon buns as an occasional breakfast treat.

?Over 40 percent of Sequim District students participate in the free-and-reduced meal program,? said Kia Kozun, marketing manager of Nash?s Organic Produce.

Kozun?s statement is consistent with recent estimates from Sequim School District as well.

?For many kids, their meals at school are the only ones they receive all day. One of the most important things we can do for our children is to make available to them fruits and veggies that feed their growing minds and bodies,? she added.

With national concerns of child obesity and increasing cases of juvenile diabetes, Converse said the forming of Olympic Harvest is a step in the right direction.

The next step is increasing awareness throughout the area and getting others involved, particularly if the project is not fully funded and Olympic Harvest may need other ways of subsidizing the extra costs.

?The parents and teachers are behind us, but we also want to stimulate the rest of the community in supporting this endeavor,? he said.

?We?ve got the green light; how are we going to make it happen??

For more information about volunteering, or to make a donation, contact Robert Converse at 460-9242.