Pennsylvania — Adaptation Handbook

How They Got Started

In 2016, a staff person from The Food Trust traveled to Vermont to observe the Northeast Farm to School Institute’s (NEFTSI) kickoff retreat. She was impressed with the program and the impact it can have to increase fruit and vegetable consumption by kids and increase knowledge about where their food comes from. The Food Trust held a pilot institute during the 2022–2023 school year. Four teams (two school districts and two ECE programs) participated in the pilot, which included a one-day summer retreat and a yearlong program that closely modeled the NEFTSI.

When The Food Trust heard about the opportunity to participate in the Farm to School Institute Adaptation Program, staff took steps to apply and were accepted, which allowed Pennsylvania to gain additional experience and knowledge before launching the full institute. Two members of the adaptation team attended the NEFTSI retreat at Shelburne Farms and they were inspired by the beautiful farm setting and farm-fresh food that was served, and impressed by how hands-on and communal the experience felt. When it came to planning Pennsylvania’s institute, the team wanted to create a similar feel and experience for their retreat.

“We received a lot of amazing feedback on the retreat experience related to teams getting to know each other as individuals and laying a good foundation for working together. They really loved the location, an educational farm, and we had a really great caterer who procured local food for all the meals. I think that part of the experience really helped team members remember how impactful farm to school efforts can be.”

— Samantha Gibb, The Food Trust

The Pennsylvania Adaptation Team (including Sam Gibb of The Food Trust, far right, and Sarah Baranski of the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, far right) at the Farm to School Adaptation Program at Shelburne Farms, summer 2023. Photo: Sarah Webb for Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools.

The Pennsylvania adaptation team included ten representatives from the Pennsylvania Farm to School Network’s leadership and active membership teams. When applying to participate in the adaptation program, this group wanted to align the institute’s goals with the network’s strategic plan priorities to support farm to school stakeholders in implementing farm to school activities by providing resources and professional development and networking opportunities. The adaptation team felt the institute would help teams from schools, school districts, and ECE programs enhance or start farm to school programming and align farm to school with their community’s priorities and values.

Implementing the Core Components in Pennsylvania

Adapting the NEFTSI model involves preserving the core components that make the model impactful while modifying how they are implemented to fit the local context. Here are four key ways Pennsylvania is adapting the NEFTSI model for their state.

Engaging Statewide Network as Institute Partner

The Pennsylvania Farm to School Network, coordinated by The Food Trust, reaches almost 2,000 people and includes representation from entities across Pennsylvania and in a variety of sectors. In summer 2023, The Food Trust recruited members from this network to participate in institute planning through the formation of a steering committee. Steering committee members represented the broad reach of the network and its wide range of communities, partners, and perspectives. The steering committee participated in key decisions and activities such as deciding on team selection criteria and determining institute outcomes and what program evaluation would look like. They also played a key role in promoting the institute to potential applicants, and helped recruit coaches, workshop presenters, and panelists. The network’s varied representation especially facilitated coach and presenter recruitment, drawing people from different backgrounds and perspectives, and enabled the adaptation team to get targeted feedback on the institute’s programming (e.g., recommendations for adapting the retreat agenda for an ECE audience).

The Pennsylvania Farm to School Institute in-person retreat in June 2024 at Heritage Creek Farm in Mt. Joy, PA. Photo: The Food Trust.

“One of my big takeaways from planning and implementing this institute is just how impactful a team can be. That applies to the participating institute teams’ support systems as well as the institute implementation team. Being able to rely on our network of practitioners for feedback, planning, and implementing the program has been integral in facilitating a successful institute. Maintaining those relationships with our partners will be really important for hosting another institute in the future.”

— Lauren Rosse, The Food Trust

Convening a Stakeholder Advisory Group

The adaptation team wanted their institute to be informed by as many different voices as possible. Inspired by Connecticut’s Farm to School Institute, they decided to convene a stakeholder advisory group to provide input and a fresh perspective on their plans. The adaptation team put out a call for and assembled a group of 11 practitioners from a variety of backgrounds who were engaged in farm to school work. Advisory group members included educators, school food service authorities, people who made food purchasing decisions for schools, farmers, and nonprofit representatives engaged in farm to school, nutrition, and food access.

In April 2024, the Pennsylvania adaptation team held a one-day, in-person meeting with the stakeholder advisory group at Heritage Creek Farm, the venue selected for the institute’s two-day retreat. The choice of location was intentional: the adaptation team wanted to replicate the vibe and experience they had planned for the actual retreat, including the local food that would be served. During the meeting, advisory group members reviewed a draft of the retreat agenda and the adaptation team posed questions to them about the types of topics that should be covered, what resources would be helpful, and what kinds of workshops should be included. The adaptation team and planning committee took the advisory group’s feedback on content, location, food, accessibility, and overall experience and incorporated it into their final plans to make sure the institute reflected the advisory group’s ideal experience.

The meeting was a success beyond informing the institute’s look and feel. It also resulted in group members wanting to continue their engagement in the institute and the Pennsylvania Farm to School Network. For example, three group members applied for and were selected to become institute coaches, several participated at the retreat as panelists or speakers, and at least three signaled they wanted to stay involved by serving on network working groups.

Retreat Programming to Fine Tune Farm to School Pitch

Because Pennsylvania’s retreat was only two days long, the team needed to get creative when it came to delivering essential content. One adaptation they made was to create a workshop that supported teams in fine tuning their farm to school pitch. At NEFTSI, the original activity invited teams to present components of their action plans to another team and gather feedback to hone their plans. To honor the spirit of this activity while streamlining the process, the adaptation team revised the activity by pairing individuals from different teams and providing them with prompts. These prompts encouraged participants to reflect on their farm to school work, share what they were excited to implement, and explore ways to engage community members. The workshop not only provided a space for teams to receive peer feedback to refine their action plans, but also gave participants a chance to practice how they might communicate about farm to school with their communities and encourage community involvement.

Retreat participants engage in a hands-on workshop. Photo: The Food Trust.

Teams action planning during the in-person retreat in June 2024 at Heritage Creek Farm in Mt. Joy, PA. Photo: The Food Trust.

Early Impact

Feedback from the teams on the retreat and the yearlong program has been overwhelmingly positive. Teams enjoyed the retreat experience, from the farm location to the local food served by the caterer, and appreciated having dedicated time to connect with and get to know their teammates. Teams have also been making great progress in the yearlong program and are in the process of implementing some exciting projects. For example, one school district incorporated a Harvest of the Month program that includes grade level-appropriate lessons paired with recipes and taste tests. Recipes are posted on the district’s Facebook page and highlighted during school board meetings. The district has also created a logo and a newsletter where they share farm to school highlights and happenings with the community. The elementary school team started a classroom bucket garden program, and one of the team members is providing training for teachers on how to maintain and use the bucket garden to engage students. Eventually, they would like to extend the program to include caregivers and families who would like to have a bucket garden in their homes.

More broadly, there has been a lot of buzz around the institute with significant interest demonstrated by stakeholders who are curious about future institute opportunities. The Pennsylvania adaptation team has received a number of inquiries asking when applications for the next institute will open. The team has also received feedback from workshop presenters and Heritage Creek Farm reflecting their enthusiasm for staying involved in the planning of another institute. Among communities with existing institute teams, community support and engagement is deepening. A number of these existing teams have recruited people to not only join their team but also join their school or ECE program’s farm to school and/or wellness committees. This is a strong reflection of the Pennsylvania institute’s early impact and shows that, even in its first official year, it has already become a valuable resource for farm to school efforts across the state – demonstrating its potential to drive longevity and broader reach in the years to come.

“As facilitators of the institute, we are learning about what it takes to coach people through implementing an action plan and figuring out how to troubleshoot challenges. All these learnings will help us better tailor whatever resources and support we might want to provide in the future to support farm to school stakeholders participating in the institute and beyond.”