Dubuque, Iowa (AP) — At the end of school day at Lincoln Elementary School on Thursday, a freshman in Christine Bureau’s classroom had a box full of unknown goods to open.
“Oh, that’s right! Berry!” Jahari White screamed.
Next to the berries were peppers and meat sticks, especially Jahari’s tablemate Holden Ashbrooke. There were also other vegetables, pretzels, honey sticks and jams.
Beyond the table, classmate Ryanon Hanson skewered her berries with a stick.
“I made kebab,” she said.
“Bottling” lessons, a twist on pork boards, and food sourced primarily from local farmers and producers are courtesy of Project Rooted, a non-profit organization that aims to connect children to healthy local food. It was provided.
After reading a book in class about neighbors gathering and eating, Buerow instructed the students to look into the box and sprinkle the contents on the cup as they like.
“They really take advantage of their creativity,” Project Rooted founder Whitney Sanger told Dubuque Telegraph Herald. “We’re trying to make it fun for them. We’re celebrating the rally and food you gather around the table.”
“I’ll share it with everyone,” Jahari promised to pack some snacks he didn’t eat right away.
Holden made a similar vow, explaining that he would share it with his parents and siblings at home.
“I take it home and allow everyone to taste everything I hate. They can eat,” Holden said.
Every month, Rooted Boxes return to the classrooms of Buelow and nine other Dubuque Community Schools sophomore teachers, filled with new food combined with fresh activities each time.
“It’s very nice to expose them to what’s in the box, those health foods,” Buelow said. “Often they are the most expensive, so it may be cut off from the lives of children.”
The program began this month in 10 first grade classrooms at nine public schools: Audubon, Bryant, Fulton, Kennedy, Lincoln, Marshall, Prescott, Sageville, and Table Mound.
This isn’t the first time Project Rooted has sent a box to the classroom, but it’s the first time a project has been attempted on such a large scale. Last year, the organization tested the project with 25 students.
According to Sanger, the group is working on plans to include classrooms in the Western Dubuke Community School District in the future.
“We really want our kids to have fun exploring food, but we also want them to understand where to procure food,” Sanger said. “There are a lot of great local producers and farmers in the community. We want them to be aware of those opportunities.”
220 boxes prepared by Project Rooted for students include food from Hilltop Gardens, Phelps Farm, Our Farm Meat, WW Homestead Daily, Barbs Garden Pantry, Johnson Honey Farm, and Timber Range Farm. It was.
“Every month is really different,” Sanger said. “We try to use seasonal foods.”
Within the next few months, the box will contain local yogurt, herb planting activities, and ultimately projects using herbs planted by students.
On Thursday, students also brought home a recipe for chick parsley soup, a list of seasonal fruits and vegetables, a small activity booklet, and a “Rooted Journal” handout that allows you to recreate “jarring” with bamboo tools. I did.
“The goal is to finally get it back,” Sanger said. “That’s why we take them home and allow them to make it again. It’s a different tool every month.”
On Wednesday, volunteers gathered at Steeple Square to build and fill a box. Among the youngest helpers was a group of students from Audubon Elementary School.
Grades 4 and 5 are part of the school’s student leadership team.
“This looks delicious,” said fifth-grade Sadhana Rawal, putting a sample of colorful jam in each box.
Brenda Roschen, a school liaison for Audubon, said the team came out to help fill the boxes of young classmates throughout the district to assist Project Luddo.
Project Rooted has partnered with the school in a past pandemic online cooking class and another program where students were given the opportunity to try food purchased at the Dubuque Farmers Market.
“It feels good for the students to give back because the students (Project Rooted) have given us a lot,” Roschen said.
