Farm to School: December 2025 Newsletter

Dec 15

Grateful Hearts, Healthy Holidays

Welcome to the December edition of our Farm to School newsletter! As we wrap up 2025, we are reflecting on the incredible effort it takes to fuel our students' learning every single day.

A massive thank you goes out to our School Food Service Staff. Your commitment to nutrition, safety, and student well-being is the backbone of our educational community. We know how much hard work goes into managing menus and serving hundreds of students daily, and we are profoundly grateful for your service. We also share this gratitude with our Local Farmers. Their partnership allows us to bring the best of the field to the cafeteria tray.

Wishing you all a peaceful holiday season and a healthy start to the New Year!

FALL 2025 Healthy Meals Incentive Summit

Northwest Indiana’s school nutrition programs presented at the Fall 2025 Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Summit in November. Veronica Jalomo, Farm to School Coordinator with the NWI Food Council, joined forces with Cindy Vondra, School Food Service Director at LaPorte Schools, and Nick Alessandri, School Food Service Director at River Forest Schools, to present "Transforming School Meals: Local Foods, Student Choice & Innovation."

The presentation highlighted the incredible strides made by two of our local districts that received prestigious HMI Recognition Awards:

LaPorte Community School Corporation was honored for its "Innovative School Lunch Makeover." By launching "The Creation Station," their food service staff empowered students with "build-your-own" burrito bowls and sub sandwiches, leading to a massive spike in student participation.
River Forest Community School Corporation received the award for "Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals." This recognized their two-year dedication to a farm-to-table philosophy, transitioning away from processed items toward scratch-prepared meals.

A key highlight of the session was the "Win-Win-Win" created by the partnership between school food service staff and NWI Food Council. Through the Region Roots Food Hub, our regional value chain has facilitated the purchase of local fresh food for schools. This investment ensures students receive peak-season nutrition while providing a stable, reliable market for our local farmers.

The presentation emphasized that this transformation is a team effort. From the Farm to School Coordinator acting as the bridge to local growers, to the dedicated kitchen staff who have embraced new culinary training and scratch-cooking techniques, Northwest Indiana is proving that school lunch can be fresh, local, and student-approved.

Click Here for Link to Presentation

River Forest School Food Service Team

LaPorte School Food Service Team

November Highlight

Serving Up Gratitude in LaPorte Community Schools

Our holiday season kicked off with a spirit of service! Veronica Jalomo, Farm to School Coordinator, and Ashley Barry, Wholesale Partnership Coordinator had the honor of assisting LaPorte Community Schools with their annual Thanksgiving meal service.

By joining the school food service staff on the line, Veronica and Ashley were able to witness firsthand the hard work that goes into feeding our students and the joy that fresh, local food brings to the holiday table. Thank you to Cindy Vondra for the invitation and LaPorte Food Service Staff for the warm welcome!

Eating Local All Winter Long!

Even as the temperatures drop and the fields take a rest, our local farms continue to provide an amazing variety of fresh, flavorful foods! While there’s a little less produce available this time of year, there’s still plenty to fill your menus with local goodness.

This month, we’re featuring hearty and nourishing favorites like apples, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, and radishes— plus flavorful microgreens to bring a pop of freshness to your dishes. Our farms also have a wonderful selection of local meats, including beef, ground beef, pork, and chicken, along with farm-fresh eggs, sweet honey, and maple syrup.

If you have any questions about product availability, contact our Wholesale Partnerships Coordinator, Ashley Barry at ashley@nwifoodcouncil.org

This Month’s Harvest of the Month Recipe Highlight

**Sweet Potato and Bean Chili**

Loaded with beans, sweet potatoes, and warm, wonderful spices, this chili is a satisfying meal.
**Components:** Meat/Meat Alternate, Other, Red/Orange, Vegetable
**Source:** Healthy School Recipes
**Servings:** 50
**Crediting:** 2 oz meat/meat alternate, and 3⁄4 cup red/orange vegetable and 1⁄8 cup other vegetable.

📢 Important: Grant Application Deadline Approaching!

The NWI Food Council is proud to be a part of the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub, a collaborative effort supporting those working to transform school meals across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Our mission is simple but vital: we are committed to providing our nation’s children with nutritious meals that improve their health and set them up for bright futures. By building a resilient food supply chain through innovation and industry partnerships, we are creating a food system that delivers high-quality, nutritious foods directly to our schools.

🗓️ Mark Your Calendars

Applications are officially due:

January 23rd by 5:00 PM Central Time

🤝 We Are Here to Help

Don’t navigate the process alone! Indiana State Leads are available to answer your questions, guide you through the application, and connect you with the partners and resources needed to bring your innovative ideas to life.

Reach out to Indiana leads: