New London Public Schools consists of four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, and has a diverse population of 3,300 students. The district is an all magnet school district, which means that each school is connected to a magnet pathway (STEM, International Baccalaureate, and Visual & Performing Arts). All students in New London have access to free school breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Provision. The FoodCorps program is overseen by the New London Public Schools Food Service Department. The Department’s mission is to ensure that delicious, nourishing meals are available to all students. The department strives to serve quality meals that utilize ingredients from local producers and promote the health and wellness of students so they can be more productive in the classroom. New London Public Schools is part of a unique partnership with a company called Brigaid. Brigaid partners with institutional food programs to assist in supporting their food service program by incorporating scratch cooking, engaging students in nutrition education, and improving the overall quality of the program. New London is a small, shoreline city that is only 7 square miles. It is located directly between Boston and NYC, with access to Amtrak through the Shoreline East railway. It is a great place to live because it offers a small city life with a range of restaurants, art galleries, clothing stores, etc. It also offers quaint beach community living, with Ocean Beach and Harkness Memorial State Park located not far from downtown.

The two service members will each serve one school, and share one school, as there are three elementary schools total. The will collaborate with New London Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services staff, school teachers, principals and Brigaid chefs based in the schools’ kitchens. During the school day, in the classroom, the service member will be responsible for incorporating garden and food education, into the students’ day-to-day learnings. Afterschool, the service member will be supporting small groups of students enrolled in afterschool programming through garden and food education. The service member will also build support around the school gardens- ensuring that teams of staff and teachers meet to promote sustainability for those gardens. In the cafeteria, the service member will help promote healthy menu items that have been developed by Brigaid.

FoodCorps service members at this site are part of a Connecticut cohort of members, and with the small geography of the state, members can frequently collaborate in person. These service members are creating powerful relationships with the wide variety of organizations and individuals that make up the networks addressing food systems change across the state and region. Serving in Connecticut means you are part of a close-knit FoodCorps team, enjoy ample opportunity for a wide range of professional development, and have the chance to make a huge impact in the state with the second-highest income disparity in the nation. The FoodCorps CT cohort is part of a much larger network of organizations and agencies dedicated to farm-to-school work, including, but not limited to: the University of Connecticut, CT State Department of Education, CT Department of Agriculture, CT Department of Public Health, Common Ground, CT Farm to School Collaborative, Keney Park Sustainability Project, Brigaid, New England Dairy, and New Britain ROOTS.