RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Public Schools is launching a new program to fight food insecurity aimed at giving families more opportunities to access fresh food.
The Farm to Table Monthly Market, which kicked off Friday in the cafeteria at Fairfield Court Elementary, featured boxes of fresh vegetables and fruit-lined tables for parents to choose from.
Roneisha Jones, a mom of two boys in kindergarten and first grade, said her growing boys are constantly hungry. She admitted that it is not always easy keeping up with their appetites.
“The price of food has gone up and it is just ridiculous, so every little bit is helpful,” she said.
The school system launched the Farm to Table Market to allow families like Jones to stock up on a full bag of produce.
Additionally, Armstrong High School students helped parents pick out items and provided ideas on what how to prepare and cook the vegetables.
RPS Chief of Student Wellness Renesha Parks said programs like this one are vital because so many families are "deserving of hot, fresh meals as well as fresh fruit and produce."
“We know if our students' psychological and mental health needs are not taken care of, then they can’t be at their best academically,” Parks said.
The district's Nutrition Services team partnered with Lulus Local Foods to create the monthly event. Lulus received a Department of Agriculture grant to work with area Virginia farmers, according to an organizer.
Jones said the event came at the right time, and will give her one less thing to worry.
“When you know you don’t have enough to make it through the week, and then that just comes through, it’s like amazing,” Jones shared.
The district is planning to have the pop-up market at two elementary schools in December.
RPS is currently a district where all students eat free for all school meals because of the USDA Community Eligibility Provision.
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