Schools

PHOTOS: Franken Recognizes Eisenhowers's Farm2School Program

The Minnesota senator served Eisenhower students lunch and then ate with them.

When Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) visited Eisenhower Elementary on Tuesday, he didn’t exactly steal the show from the freshly cooked food the kindergarteners were hungrily waiting for. The young ones—still a few years from their first civics class—may have been excited to see the new faces of Franken and his entourage, but they weren’t exactly clear on what a senator does.

“Something that helps the world?” ventured Laurana Hill.

Franken was there to recognize the school for the same food that the kindergarteners had lined up for. Eisenhower has a Farm2School program that brings fresh produce from local farmers to school lunches.

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In the 2011-12 school year, Hopkins served students about 4,050 pounds of fresh produce, according to the school district. On Tuesday, the Eisenhower students’ chili included locally grown tomatoes, and they also dined on fresh potatoes, peppers and radishes.

While he was at Eisenhower, Franken chatted with students, donned an apron to serve them lunch and then sat down to eat with them. Greg Reynolds, whose Riverbend Farms provides some of the produce, joined him in meeting students.

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Barb Mechura, the district’s director of student nutrition services, said Franken has been a longtime supporter of healthy schools initiatives—sponsoring bills on topics such as nutritional education and physical activity.

“He’s just a wonderful supporter of these efforts,” Mechura said.

While the kindergarteners may not have quite understood what a senator does, the sixth graders were more impressed. Emma DePape, a sixth grader who helped the kindergarteners go through the lunch line, admitted she was nervous when Franken talked with her and her friends. Still, she said it was cool that one of Minnesota’s senators visited her school.

“It was kind of exciting that I got to meet him because you don’t get to meet a senator every day,” Emma said.


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