THE ASSEMBLY
STATE OF NEW YORK
ALBANY

Room 547 Capitol
Albany, New York 12248
(518) 455-5203
FAX (518) 455-5573
sternr@assembly.state.ny.us

Chairman
Felix W. Ortiz

Dear Friend:

Mark your calendars! The NYS Assembly has proclaimed New York Harvest for New York Kids Week September 28th - October 6th, 2002. I have exciting news; earlier this year, the State Legislature and the Governor approved a new Farm-to-School Law that includes Harvest Week as one of its features. The new law, including Harvest Week, formally commits State government to the goal of encouraging schools to feature New York foods in their menus and inspiring families to eat more New York-grown foods as part of a program to improve their diets. This will help reverse the trend of declining farms in the State and at the same time provide New York's children with improved nutrition.

Because of your commitment to children and New York agriculture, we are asking you to join with your local schools, farmers and businesses to help us promote good nutrition using New York State foods during this special week.

Celebrating New York Harvest for New York Kids Week can help educate and inspire school children and their families to eat more New York-grown foods as part of a program to improve their diets; provide linkages between schools and local agriculture, both in the classroom and through visits to farms or farmers' markets; and, encourage school foodservice programs to incorporate and feature New York foods in school lunch and breakfast menus. Urban, suburban, and even rural children need to learn more about farming and local foods because so few of our families have any connection to the land anymore.

Over 1,400 school foodservice directors around the State have received a mailing encouraging them to participate in Harvest Week. We are also mailing information to 700 teachers, organizations and individuals involved in nutrition, agriculture and education.

Some of you can offer direct involvement in schools, such as Farm Bureau's adopt-a-school visits; others, such as Cornell Cooperative Extension or the Cookshop program, can provide educational materials that are ready to use or information that schools can develop into handouts. Many of you are listed in the Resource Guide we mailed to the foodservice directors; please be prepared to respond.

If you need more information or wish to contact us with ideas or materials, please write or call:

NYS Assembly Task Force on Food, Farm and Nutrition Policy
Room 547 - Capitol
Albany, NY 12248
Phone: (518) 455-5203; fax: 455-5573
Email: sternr@assembly.state.ny.us

In mid-May you can also check the Task Force web page on the Assembly web site, http://assembly.state.ny.us/comm, and click on updates where we will attempt to post, as much as possible, the Harvest Week material that was sent out. If you would like printed copies, please let us know.

FINALLY, PLEASE SEND US COPIES OF MATERIALS YOU DEVELOP THIS YEAR OR DESCRIPTIONS OF ACTIVITIES. WE WOULD LIKE TO HONOR THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE AND COLLECT GOOD IDEAS FOR NEXT YEAR!

To fully promote the celebration of this week, government, school officials, educators, farmers, food businesses, and health professionals will have to participate. Whatever assistance you can provide will be welcomed. Please include information about Harvest Week in your newsletters or other mailings. We have provided a background piece that you can work with. Please take the initiative to reach out to schools or farmers and get involved. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to support this effort. Our State's children and farmers also thank you.

Sincerely,

Felix Ortiz
Member of Assembly
Chair, Task Force on Food, Farm & Nutrition Policy