Oxford Schools Expand Farm to Table Program

OXFORD, Miss. — Good Food for Oxford Schools is calling for important input from all farmers within a
250-mile radius of Oxford, Mississippi. Program organizers need important information from farmers that will help the Oxford School District’s farm to school program provide fresh, high-quality foods grown locally to school district students throughout the 2014-2015 school year. !

“Through our Farm to School Request for Information, we are trying to find out what organizations or cooperatives representing farms in the region are interested in selling their produce during their growing season,” said Sunny Young, Good Food for Oxford Schools program director. “We want interested farmers and growers to fill out an application providing their information if they are interested in selling food to serve in our district’s school cafeterias.”

The Request for Information applications are due no later than Friday, August 29, to Good Food for Oxford Schools. The application process is open to farmers and cooperative programs within a 250-mile radius of Oxford, Mississippi, and Good Food for Oxford Schools is particularly interested in partnering with small-scale, beginning, family, or minority-owned farms in the north Mississippi region.

“The information provided will allow us to select those farmers that we feel can provide fresh, local fruits and vegetables to our school kids during lunch while also meeting our program standards and expectations” said Young. “We want to increase serving whole, nutrient-rich foods while supporting our local farmers and growers at the same time.”

Good Food for Oxford Schools has specific guidelines and requirements set in the Request for Information Application.

“Solid applications need to be reliable and provide timely, accurate delivery of their produce,” said Young. “We also will look for safe farm production and handling practices as well as competitive pricing in the information provided through the applications submitted.”

To obtain a Request for Information application, call (662) 236-1079, email Sunny Young at sryoung@oxfordsd.org, or download and print an application from the Oxford School District website at www.oxfordsd.org.

The Request for Information application must be submitted to the Oxford School District by Friday, August 29 at 2 p.m. One copy of a completed application should be submitted by one of the following ways:

• Email to Child Nutrition Services Director Richmond Smith at hrsmith@oxfordsd.org and Program Director Sunny Young at sryoung@oxfordsd.org.

• Fax to (662) 236-4878 with note “Attention: Richmond Smith, Child Nutrition Department”.

• Mail to Oxford School District, Attention: Richmond Smith, Child Nutrition Department, 224 Bramlett Boulevard, Oxford, Mississippi 38655.

For more information or questions regarding the Good Food for Oxford Schools Request for Information, call (662) 236-1079.

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