Schoolkids Join First Lady to Harvest White House Garden

Kevin Needham, AVI Foodsystems, Inc., Resident Director at South Euclid Lyndhurst (OH) Schools, accompanied five students selected from Greenview Elementary School to join First Lady Michelle Obama in harvesting vegetables from The White House Kitchen Garden on Tuesday, October 14th. Others participating in the event included students from Harriet Tubman and Bancroft elementary schools in Washington, DC; the STAR School from Flagstaff, AZ; and Willow Cove Elementary School from Pittsburg, CA.

The students then joined the First Lady for a healthy dinner consisting of Maple Glazed Chicken with Sautéed Kale, Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries; Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup with Cinnamon Glazed Carrots; and Ratatouille, prepared with the freshly gathered vegetables.

Greenview Elementary was chosen to participate in the event due in part to its involvement in the Farm to School program, which was implemented at South Euclid Lyndhurst in the fall of 2010 as a collaboration among the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, AVI, Red Basket Farm and the school district.

“This is the new generation of school cafés,” says Needham. "Fresh, local, made-from-scratch meals are exactly what our students need in order to be motivated and productive. After all, what’s more important than our kids."