Kids are the Customers!

I'm excited to be participating in a workshop for the 2010 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. The conference is being held in Detroit, Michigan from Monday, May 17 through Wednesday, May 19. Attendees at the conference will have the opportunity to learn about initiatives involving pre-school, K-12, childcare facilities, hospitals, colleges and prisons. I'll be presenting with Renee DeWindt, the Food Service Director for Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools and Gene Peyerk, Food Service Director for Glen Lake Community Schools. Our workshop is called:

Kids are the Customers: Marketing Local Food in Schools

We will be sharing tips for marketing school food service programs marketing school food service programs within the community, engaging students, school administrators, teachers, families, local farmers, and community leaders. Learn how marketing local food in school meals programs can be a positive educational experience and a fundraising program for schools, thereby eliminating the need for in-school commercial marketing programs

Attendees of our workshop will be able to:

• Better understand how to put together a marketing plan to market local foods in school cafeterias.
• Bring home creative tips and ideas for marketing local foods to his/her own community.
• Collaborate with colleagues to integrate their school food service program into school events, extracurricular activities and educational programs.

To register for conference, please go to http://farmtocafeteriaconference.org/5/. Early bird registration ends this Friday, March 26! It's a $30 savings if you register before Friday's deadline, so don't delay!