Growing Farm to School Partnerships in Indiana

Recently, we began working with a school corporation that is close to home. So close in fact, that we can sometimes even hear students playing at recess from across the fields- Southeast Dubois County School Corporation.

As we are growing our farm to school partnerships in Indiana, it just made sense to start close to home!

Our staff Chef, Jeff Fell, has been working with their culinary Team led by Lisa Fletcher and shared with us a bit about his experience there last week, when he visited all of their school kitchens to learn more about how we can provide value and experiences to their school community.

Read on to learn more about how this relationship was formed in the kitchen through collaboration, education, and some fun food sampling with the kids!

I recently had the privilege of visiting the Southeast Dubois School Corporation to share samples of our products with students. My goal was to introduce them to fresh, locally sourced options that could be incorporated into their menus but also gain a greater understanding of how our Team can work with their Teams.

During the visit, I prepared and served:

• Beef patties for cheeseburgers
• BBQ pulled pork
• Pork sausage patties
• Uncured smoked shaved turkey
• Ground beef for taco meat.

The students’ enthusiasm was incredible—they couldn’t stop asking when these items would be added to their menus! It was clear that the cheeseburgers and pulled pork were the biggest hits. The feedback from both students and staff was overwhelmingly positive, which was exciting to hear.

I had great support from Dr Jamie Pund, SE Dubois Superintendent, Lisa Fletcher, the Food Service Director who oversees all the District’s locations, as well as the location Managers who made sure I had everything I needed.

Our Team worked with Lisa and her staff to provide:

• Product specific nutrition facts
• All of the food samples used
• Marketing materials for the lunchroom and newsletters
• Photos and videos for social media use

I’m thrilled that plans are already in motion to include Fischer Farms products on their menus starting in February.

It’s rewarding to see how Fischer Farms can make a difference by helping schools, big or small, offer premium, natural, and local options to their students.

If you want to see a fun recap of our time with the students, then be sure to check out their Ranger Report here.