Southern Door School’s Food Service Director, John Swanson, received recognition recently for his special “Farm to School” activities within the food service program at the school. Swanson and the district were featured in an article in the June/July issue of “National School Nutrition” magazine. The article mentions how Swanson’s food service team highlighted the local maple syrup industry while making syrup from trees right on the school grounds. It also mentions when he invited a local cheesemaker goat cheese specialist to the elementary school cafeteria, and he brought some goats right into the dining room to help educate the kids. Then on February 24th, National Chili Day, Swanson acquired organic red kindey beans from a local farm for that day’s chili at lunchtime. That lunch also included a map showing where the beans came from and a list of nutritional benefits of kidney beans. In the article, Swanson comments, “Food is a huge part of my life. I have a great staff. We’re stretched thin, but they’re second-to-none and allow us to do stuff like this. Their dedication helps alot.”
