Work with School Food Workers

Before kids everywhere can benefit from school lunch, Congress needs to prvide more funding and stronger standards. In the few places where schools are already serving healthy food from local farms, the credit goes to the hard work and ingenuity of school nutrition directors and food service workers. This campaign can expand their successes, and we can be a resource to them as we move forward.

Ways to Work Together:

• Organize a community event to recognize their owrk, or honor them in a newsletter you send to your members.
• Write a "sign-on" letter, ask every worker to sign it and then send it to your representatives in Congress.
• Ask school nutrition directors to give kids letters to take home to their parents. Here's a sample letter.
• Make photocopies of the petition and ask workers to share it with colleagues and friends.
• Reach out to local members of unions like Service Workers United and associations like the School Nutrition Association.
• After the campaign, the next step can be to work together on a Slow Food in Schools project like planting a garden or organizing cooking classes.

Ways to Work Together:

• Always be polite, respectful and direct. Recognize employees' hard work.
• Approach school employees with a specific project or idea that you can work on together.
• Emphasize the goal (to give schools the ability to serve real food) and what it will take to get there.
• This campaign is an opportunity to build a deeper relationship between schools and your community. Discuss your mutual long-term goals.