On Tuesday, October 11, Gorham Middle School hosted a visit from Governor Janet Mills and United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, along with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Commissioner Amanda Beal. Secretary Vilsack visited Maine to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to school nutrition programs and better opportunities for American farmers by visiting a model school in Maine practicing farm to school initiatives, and initiatives toward ending hunger.
The tour for the visitors began with GMS Dining Service Director Michael Sanborn and staff in the cafeteria and kitchen where they prepare and provide meals for all the students.
The second portion of the tour brought the group to Heather Whitaker’s kitchen classroom. Whitaker is the alternative education teacher at Gorham Middle School, and Maine’s 2020 Teacher of the Year. She was joined by her student, Miracle. They introduced the group to the classroom and discussed teaching about food production, preparation, healthy choices, and how many other kinds of lessons and life skills can be taught in the kitchen.
Whitaker said that after some time as a traditional 6th-grade teacher, she decided that she “wanted to do something to connect the kids with the world around them.” With help from many others, she started the Gorham Middle School Garden 19 years ago.
Photo credit: Gorham School DepartmentLeft-Right: GMS Teacher Heather Whitaker, Governor Janet Mills, 7th Grade Student Miracle Fernandez, and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack
Vilsack asked Whitaker if she had a wish list for equipment she’d like to have in the kitchen, and she said they’re always looking for “a class set of cooking utensils and cooking materials,” as opposed to the hodgepodge of things picked up from Goodwill and through donations. Then she added, “It would be helpful if all classroom teachers had access to cooking materials, so they were able to cook in their classrooms just like I am able to do.”
Secretary Vilsack asked Whitaker’s student, Miracle Fernandez. “Do you have a specialty of things you grow?”
Miracle answered, “I like growing tomatoes.”
“How’s the crop this year?”
“Pretty good,” she answered enthusiastically.
“What do you do with the tomatoes? Do you like to cook as well?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“Do you have a specialty?”
She answered, “Salsa.”
As Miracle’s answer delighted the crowd, Vilsack declared, “There’s a marketable opportunity. Excellent!”
Out by the school garden, Whitaker described its 19-year development and mission. Learning of the Gorham Food Pantry’s difficulty finding fresh local produce, the mission became directed to serving the community, and “empowerment of teaching kids how to grow their food, to donate, and to give back.” She explained that they grow on average 1000 lbs. of produce for the Pantry each season, with last year being a banner year of 1500 lbs. They have reached 900 lbs. this year.
Photo credit: Gorham School DepartmentGorham Middle School teacher Heather Whitaker and visitors speak to the press in the GMS Garden about the farm to school initiatives taking place at the school for nearly twenty years.
Later that day, Jan Willis MacLeod, vice president of the Gorham Food Pantry Board of Directors told us, “The pantry is so grateful for the long partnership with the Gorham Middle School Garden; the produce received from Gorham Middle School students is able to quickly get into the hands of our Gorham community and help feed our neighbors.”
Inside the garden, Whitaker said, “Ours is only one example of the many amazing school gardens across our state where my fellow educators are also introducing students to the joys and lessons of agriculture, building our next generation of gardeners and farmers.”
Ben Whalen of Bumble Root Organic Farm in Windham spoke to the group about the idea of resilient communities, starting with strong local agriculture and its benefits including “protecting the environment through sustainable practices and land stewardship.” Whalen pointed out that “Locally grown food is incredibly fresh and has a much lower carbon footprint compared to products being grown thousands of miles away and shipped in from out of state,” He advised that communities find creative ways to connect growers with school chefs, kitchen staff, and teachers, form lasting partnerships, educate students and families, support school efforts, and invest in local economies, “forging strong community ties, and building more resilient local food systems, all while supporting the health of the next generation.”
Rep. Chellie Pingree, who has been a strong advocate for farm to school initiatives, remarked about the GMS garden program being “ahead of the curve” for nearly 20 years. She said, “Maine is a model state,” with a lot of small and medium sized farms, adding products to enhance their incomes, and taking advantage of federally funded programs.
Governor Mills recognized Congresswoman Pingree for her advocacy for critical federal funds that provided universal free school meals throughout the pandemic. She spoke about the decisive bipartisan decision by Maine lawmakers to continue free meals, and the research about the importance of breakfast and lunches at school. She expressed the hope that other states would follow Maine’s lead.
Secretary Vilsack referred back to Pingree’s remarks saying, “Maine is more than the model. It’s the mecca of local original foods, support for farmers, and connecting them to schools.” He recognized Maine’s commitment to young children and their nutrition, and the farmers who he said have “the toughest job in the world,” and Congresswoman Pingree for her work to end hunger. Vilsack announced increases in the farm-to-school incentive grants and encouraged Heather Whitaker to take advantage of them. He also announced the plan to “set aside $50 million of additional resources from the American Rescue Plan to add to the additional $30 million that comes through the appropriations process to create a fund so that schools across the country, including here in Maine, can take advantage of these resources.”
Reflecting on the visit and tour, Superintendent Heather Perry said, “It was a pleasure having our special guests visit GMS this morning. Their message regarding the importance of battling food insecurity in our community and in providing quality meals to all children in Gorham via our free school breakfast and lunch programs was invigorating. We appreciated being able to showcase our talented staff and students as well as our incredible School Nutrition Program employees for what they do each day to support our mission/vision. They truly are heroes!”