Hillsboro Argus Staff, April 7, 2009
PORTLAND - Farm to school and school garden education programs are one step closer to blossoming throughout Oregon following a hearing Thursday of HB 2800 in front of the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Communities Committee.
Testimony from a panel of economists, garden educators, health experts, farmers, school food and food manufacturing professionals convinced lawmakers that HB 2800 will nourish Oregon's children, pump millions of dollars into the Oregon economy, create hundreds of new jobs and grow a generation of food literate, healthy eaters.
"Members of the committee clearly understood the impact that purchasing school food locally can have on the economy - across hundreds of sectors - and enthusiastically supported the bill," said Deborah Kane, vice president of Ecotrust's Food and Farms program. "In Oregon, we currently spend $70 million per school year on food. HB 2800 provides an incentive for schools to source food expressly from Oregon farmers and food manufacturers and keep more of that school food dollar in Oregon."
HB 2800 provides grant money for food and garden-based education. Additionally, for every meal served, schools would receive 15 cents per lunch and 7 cents per breakfast for Oregon food purchases. In order to access state funds, districts must first demonstrate a one-to-one match using federal funds provided by the USDA's National School Lunch and Breakfast program. By leveraging existing federal dollars, the economic impact on Oregon's agriculture and food manufacturing sectors is compounded.
"I'm interested in using the purchasing power of government to support industry in Oregon and the economy," said Rep. Tina Kotek. "We want to support our school lunch program, but do it in a strategic way."
