Farm IN School
Page County Public Schools Seek Partnerships with Farmers to Bring Food into Schools
Page County Public Schools has released a RFP (Request for Proposals) seeking fresh produce, with a goal for as much of this to be as locally sourced as possible. This RFP is available to established farming operations, those who may want to try out farming, and even to those who have a small backyard garden. In other words, anyone and everyone who is willing to grow is invited to complete the RFP and participate in bringing fresh, local produce to feed the children in our community. Due to the process of receiving products, acceptance isn’t guaranteed to every offer, however depending on what people have or are willing to grow, Jenny Jeffries, Supervisor of Nutritional Services with Page County Public Schools, wants to work to the best of her ability to support our local agriculture, community, and economy.
To encourage local growers to participate and to ensure that the schools are bringing in as much local product to the cafeterias as they are able, regulations allow Page County Public Schools to give special emphasis to growers within Page County.
Jeffries shared that the schools are looking for a variety of foods and the windows of requests are in conjunction with windows of growing seasons and specific to when you would be able to harvest them in Virginia. The specific items listed were chosen based on what was felt could be used most easily within the school’s cafeterias. However, Jeffries ensured that she did not want anyone to feel limited by what was specifically being asked for, and if someone has a product that does well in Page County or that they grow and would like to offer, there is a section on the RFP that is specific to additional produce items that are not requested. Growers can also choose to offer just one or multiple of these products, and they can even work in collaboration with other growers or farms to bring in additional volume.
This particular RFP window is due on June 20th at 9:30AM. The start date for contracts will be August 1st and will run to July 31, 2023, so some of the items being requested are for Spring/Summer 2023.
If you are interested in growing or know someone who may be interested in growing to support our children, our school system, and therefore, our community, please contact Jenny Jeffries directly at (540)743-6533 or email her at vjeffries@pagecounty.k12.va.us. To pick up an application or make an appointment for application assistance, you can contact Kimberly Donohoue, Page County’s Economic Development Grant and Finance Specialist, at (540)843-3435 or email her at kdonohoe@pagecounty.virginia.gov.
