[5]The Farm to School Bill, SB 5507, has been signed by the Governor. Below are comments from State Representative Brain Clem Press Release .
Farm to School Program to expand Statewide with new allocation
By State Representatiev Brain Clem
The bill contains an expansion of the Farm to School program championed by State Rep. Brian Clem (D-Salem). Since 2007, the Farm to School program has been helping schools offset the costs of purchasing local fruits and vegetables for their school lunches. The new allocation of money will allow the program to move from serving 19 school districts to every K-12 school in the state.
“This is one of the most important things I have done in my tenure here as a State Representative. There is something distinctly Oregon about helping to connect our local farms to our local schools. Kids eating what their parents and neighbors are growing in their fields helps our citizens stay close to the land, and is what makes Oregon a beautiful place to live,” says Rep. Clem.
“We’ve come a long way with this policy since 2007,” Rep. Clem added. “What started with positions at various agencies became a wildly successful pilot program that we now get to expand statewide. It’s the kind of policy that every legislator wants to say they helped create.”