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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Healthy savings add up ... Parks Commission recommends off-season pool rental ... New Age spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson coming to Ashland ... Our View: Healthy savings add up ... Parks Commission recommends off-season pool rental ... New Age spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson coming to Ashland ... ASHLAND RUNS ON VOLUNTEERS Volunteers help bring farm goods to students' tables Comment By Mary I. Coombs For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Mary I. Coombs For the Tidings Posted Jul. 14, 2015 at 1:57 PM Updated Jul 16, 2015 at 2:40 PM By Mary I. Coombs For the Tidings Posted Jul. 14, 2015 at 1:57 PM Updated Jul 16, 2015 at 2:40 PM » Social News Since 2009, Rogue Valley Farm to School (RVFS) has been creating links between schools and farms to help promote healthy kids, healthy food and healthy farms. They operate throughout the Valley. One of its earliest programs was the Pumpkin Tour where classes of K-2 students come out to a farm, learn a bit about what goes on at a farm and harvest and bring home their own pumpkins. They now also do a Harvest Meal program for grades 1-6 students. For each of these programs, the teachers ask to have their classes participate. RVFS then sends a staff member to the classroom to talk about what the students can expect on the farm-based part of the event. Events take place at five farm sites, in Ashland, Medford, Gold Hill, Central Point and Williams, usually at the farm closest to the school. During a Harvest meal program, the students rotate through four stations. One is harvesting food and one is preparing it for the meal that is part of the program. The other two may involve introductions to such topics as composting, pollination, plant parts or insects. The students will spend about four hours on the farm and the events take place in both spring and fall. (The Pumpkin Tours are shorter and only in the fall pumpkin harvesting season!) Volunteers can participate in the harvesting and cooking and lead the activities at the other stations. RVFS also brings healthy local foods to the kids at their schools, through the Tasting Table. A Tasting Table event takes place at an elementary school. RVFS staff and volunteers prepare a seasonal fruit or vegetable two ways and then bring it to the cafeteria and serve it. Students get to try the foods, are given recipe cards so they can prepare it at home, and get to vote on whether they liked it. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ashland students (more so than at other schools in the Valley) give a decided thumbs up to kale, in salad and chips! RVFS also works with the leadership of local schools to create school gardens. Each such garden is managed by a school garden coordinator. While this is not literally a volunteer position, since the coordinator is provided with a small stipend (along with resources and support, including a monthly meeting of all coordinators) someone interested in working with the organization could suggest interest in this as well. The volunteer opportunities are mainly during the school year and during the school day. On any given day a volunteer might be involved for 2-4 hours at the farm or school. The expectation is that a volunteer would participate 3-4 times/season. (There may also be opportunities during the summer with RVFS summer camps or in outreach activities, though these are still being worked out.) The organization does trainings twice a year (the next one is in September), and — since you are interacting with school children — there will be a background check. You can learn more at www.rvfarm2school.org and click on the “get involved” link or call Sierra Faulkner at 541-951-7819. If the organization sounds like one you want to support, but regular volunteering isn’t practical, you can also help by volunteering for their major fundraiser, the Siskiyou Challenge. This is a six-event multi-sport relay (including cycling running, kayaking and mountain biking) for individuals or teams, which begins and ends at ScienceWorks. The 2015 challenge will be on Sept. 19. They need volunteers to help with set up, to staff aid stations, to work as course monitors and, after the race, to do all the clean-up associated with carrying out a “zero-waste” event. (There are also volunteer opportunities to help with publicity before race day.) For Siskiyou Challenge volunteer information, go to www.siskiyouchallenge.org or call 541-488-7884. Mary I. Coombs’ column on local nonprofit organizations appears every three weeks. Email questions and suggestions to [email protected].             By Mary I. Coombs For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Mary I. Coombs For the Tidings Posted Jul. 14, 2015 at 1:57 PM Updated Jul 16, 2015 at 2:40 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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