Mizzou student Alex Talleur volunteers at the Community Garden at Kilgore’s Medical Pharmacy in Columbia.
As Talleur pulled green, prickly cucumbers from the yellowing vines, he said he’s envious of the kids who will be munching on the fresh produce in a few days.
"When I think of schools or anything like that, I always think of the greasy cafeteria food," Talleur said. "Having an opportunity to have really healthy, homegrown food is really great."
This is the fifth year that Kilgore’s garden will be donating fruits and vegetables to the Nora Stewart Early Learning Center. The idea for the partnership came from Ann Bromstedt, a co-owner and pharmacist at Kilgore’s, after she received a prescription for cholesterol-lowering medication for a five-year-old.
"It just kind of dawned on me," Bromstedt said. "I said ‘why don't we just start a garden and basically show these kids where good food comes from, and then they have access to fresh produce.’"
As of 2011, almost 30% of Missouri children were considered overweight or obese.
"It is a frightening problem and the issue that's very scary is seeing children that are young, two-years-old, that are being considered overweight," said Cindy DeBlauw, an MU Extension Associate who works in human environmental sciences.
DeBlauw said Missouri school lunches have come a long way in providing healthier options, including more fruits and vegetables. According to the US Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School Census, 130 Missouri school districts reported that they use local foods in either the classroom or the cafeteria.
That might seem like a promising number, but it’s less than 25% of the state’s school districts. There are also no requirements for how often local food is provided.
DeBlauw said there are many reasons why schools have trouble using local foods.
"I think one of the big barriers to Farm to School in our area sometimes is access and getting some of the product into the school," DeBlauw said.
Although finding fresh produce is an added challenge for schools, DeBlauw said exposure to healthy foods is an important part of combating the high levels of obesity in our state.
"At those ages is when we're developing our eating habits that are going to last a lifetime," DeBlauw said. "The earlier you can influence a child's eating behaviors, the better off we are at having a healthier adult with good eating behaviors."
Just a 10 minute walk from Kilgore’s Community Garden, it’s lunch time at the Nora Stewart Early Learning Center.
Thanks to Kilgore’s, lunches at Nora Stewart include fresh tomatoes, peas, watermelon, strawberries, or kale every other day.
Director Cheryl Howard said she appreciates the opportunity to serve her students nutritious and local produce, but some of the students are not quite as concerned with the health benefits of their vegetables. Especially the picky eaters.
"We don't make them eat it, but we ask them to at least try it. So at least we can say they have tried it," Howard said.
