PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — For students in Pueblo School District 60, learning about healthy eating can mean more than seeing fruits and vegetables on a lunch tray. It can mean making an after-school snack with a chef, examining seeds from a local farm, and discovering that the food on their plates may have been grown just down the road.
Those experiences are at the heart of Colorado Proud Farm to School Meal Month, a statewide initiative held each October that connects students with Colorado-grown and Colorado-raised foods while teaching them about agriculture, nutrition, and the people behind their meals.
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At Franklin School of Innovation in Pueblo, the effort recently came to life through a hands-on cooking activity led by D60 district chef Patrick Reitmayer, who works with SFE, the district's food service provider, alongside registered dietitian Erica Christ and Franklin principal Dana DiTommaso Junkman, who also represents her family's fifth-generation farming operation, DiTomaso Farms.
For the students participating, all of whom were rewarded for perfect attendance so far this year, the lesson began with familiar ingredients but offered a new perspective on where their food comes from.
"We like to show them that it just doesn't come from a grocery store," Reitmayer said. "It's not just everything's prepackaged."
Instead, he said, students can see that food can be grown locally, including right in Pueblo, before it makes its way to their homes and school cafeterias.
Bringing the farm into the classroom
During the recent activity at Franklin, 18 students learned to prepare an after-school snack, following step-by-step instructions and working with the chef to assemble the ingredients.
Students receive recipe cards so they can recreate the dishes at home, extending the experience beyond the school day.
Reitmayer said he has been pleasantly surprised by how willing students are to experiment with unfamiliar foods during the past three years of the program.
Christ, D60's registered dietitian, said students are often more willing to taste foods when they have helped make them.
"I find that kids are a lot more willing to try things when it's something they made themselves," Christ said.
She said the district incorporates Colorado products throughout the school year, bringing in local produce for salad bars and serving other locally made products, including tortillas and meat.
For Christ, the opportunity to explain that the food comes from their own community adds another layer of meaning.
"It's going to be really special today to tell them this is right from Pueblo," she said, noting that the produce came from the principal's family farm.
For DiTommaso Junkman, the event brings together two important parts of her life: education and agriculture.
As principal of Franklin School of Innovation and a representative of DiTomaso Farms, she sees the program as an opportunity to show students how local agriculture supports their community and how fresh food can become part of their everyday lives.
Her family has farmed in Pueblo for five generations, and she said she has been around vegetable production throughout her life.
She also encourages students to try fresh produce during lunch, sometimes eating a cucumber or tomato herself to demonstrate that healthy foods can be enjoyable.
"If we don't like something, then kids don't like it as well," DiTommaso Junkman said. "We just want to spark excitement around eating fresh vegetables and being healthy."
For the Franklin activity, she brought cucumber seeds from the family farm to help students understand how food production begins.
The goal, she said, is to show the process from seed to harvest to the finished product on a plate.
The school district purchased produce for the event from DiTomaso Farms and her brother's farm, creating a direct link between local growers and the students they help feed.
"It's really important to show kids that they can eat things that are grown here in Pueblo," she said.
Colorado Proud Farm to School Meal Month is led by Colorado Proud at the Colorado Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education and Nourish Colorado.
The initiative is part of "Setting Colorado's Table," a broader celebration of the state's agricultural heritage and the farmers, ranchers, land, and resources that sustain its food system.
This year's celebration also coincides with Colorado's 150th anniversary, highlighting an agricultural industry that predates statehood and remains central to communities across Colorado.
According to the campaign's press release, the state is home to approximately 35,000 farms and ranches covering 30 million acres. Those operations produce a range of foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat and dairy products.
Gov. Jared Polis recently signed an executive order directing state agencies to encourage healthy eating, expand access to healthy foods and support outdoor activity statewide.
"Connecting our schools with local farmers helps Colorado kids to get nutritious meals to power classroom learning," Polis said.
He added that the initiative helps young Coloradans understand the importance of supporting farmers while making healthy food choices.
The statewide campaign has attracted participation from more than 950 schools, according to the press release. Schools can receive free program support to identify activities, connect with local producers, access educational resources in English and Spanish, and promote their events.
Activities include special school lunches featuring Colorado ingredients, farm tours, agricultural lessons, and the Crunch Off!, a friendly competition encouraging students to eat local produce and proteins.
The USDA's latest Farm to School Census, cited in the campaign materials, reports that nearly 80% of Colorado schools participate in Farm to School programs, while 68% of respondents reported serving local foods on school lunch menus.
This year's campaign also introduces the Colorado Proud School Meal Month Showcase Awards, sponsored by Nourish Colorado.
The awards recognize schools for their efforts to incorporate local foods and agricultural education into school meal programs. Five categories are available, with separate rural and urban winners in each category.
Categories include outstanding farmer-engagement events, locally focused recipes, promotional campaigns, and student-developed recipes. The Governor's Award will recognize a school program demonstrating overall excellence and a comprehensive commitment to farm-to-school success.
Each category winner will receive a $1,000 stipend to support its school food service program.
Schools and districts interested in participating can register through Colorado Proud's school registration form, even after the month has begun.
For educators and food service professionals such as Reitmayer and Christ, the broader goal extends beyond a single event or special menu.
Reitmayer said he enjoys seeing students discover a new interest in food and cooking. Some participants have told him the activities sparked an interest in culinary arts, something he considers one of the most rewarding aspects of the work.
DiTommaso Junkman hopes the connection between local farms and school meals will likewise leave a lasting impression, helping children recognize the people and work behind the food they eat.
For Pueblo students, that lesson can start with something as simple as a cucumber seed, and end with a greater appreciation for the farms that help feed their community.
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