The mission of the Baldwin County Office of Nutrition is to ensure all students receive fresh, nutritious meals during their day at school. Baldwin County provides meals throughout the community with the Seamless Summer Program as well, serving 47,000 last summer. Baldwin County School Nutrition leaders are working hard to bring fresh, local foods to the district and teach all students where their food comes. This is accomplished through experiential learning opportunities in the classroom. As a recipient of the Golden Radish Award for 3 years, receiving Platinum level in 2017, 2018, 2019, Baldwin County leaders take their jobs seriously when it comes to student nutrition and overall wellness.

FoodCorps works with Baldwin County’s program to bring nutrition awareness into the classrooms. There are currently two Food Education Service Members (FESM) serving two school clusters: the Lakeview cluster and the Midway Hills cluster, each including a K-2 primary school and an Academy, hosting grades 3rd-5th. The FESMs are implementing school gardens in both clusters, providing learning labs in the garden, harvesting items, while incorporating the nutrition department and providing classroom cooking opportunities. They provide culturally relevant hands-on food education to students and assist with integrating food education within the classroom. All four schools have supportive teachers and administrators. The School Nutrition Service Member (SNSM) assists with increasing meal participation numbers, engaging local farmers, and assisting Middle and High School AG teachers with planting, harvesting and distributing foods to serve in our cafeterias.

In collaboration with site partners, FoodCorps Georgia serves over a dozen schools, reaching more than 1000 students with hands-on experiences in gardening, nutrition, and food preparation. With a presence in a diverse set of environments, Service Members are impacting urban and rural communities across the state. There’s a place for everyone. Join FoodCorps to serve up change with a cohort of food justice leaders and a network of community-centered changemakers!