Model and Strategy
Serving nearly 900 million meals each year, California’s schools have the potential to play a catalytic role in effecting system-wide change in support of children’s health while amplifying the development of robust local and sustainable food systems across the state. FoodCorps seeks to accelerate its work in leading a school food revolution with a new California staffing model, which will amplify its presence in high-need communities while deploying an in-state team to build the relationships and program fidelity necessary to grow and sustain the progress on a larger scale. With a dedicated field staff in California, FoodCorps aims to scale its efforts in delivering a community-forward solution that has the potential to move the needle on the national problems of childhood
obesity and food insecurity by fostering the development of healthy kids, vibrant schools and communities, and a stronger local food system, and ultimately demonstrating the nationwide potential of this initiative.
Impact
In its first five years, FoodCorps has built a robust network of partnerships across the country, helping it grow rapidly and broadly and become a nationally known, impactful, and trusted organization in the fields of farm to school and public service.
Now, as it matures, FoodCorps seeks to deepen its roots through targeted investment in places, like California, where its past work has shown the potential for enormous return with a more structured intervention. FoodCorps has learned that working child by child will take resources only so far in achieving the vision of a nation where every child knows what healthy food is, cares about where it comes from, and eats it every day. To drive systemic change, an effective organization must engage directly with the people and institutions that shape the places where
kids learn about and experience food.
FoodCorps’ California field staff will be a foundational step toward achieving that vision, serving as a model for replication by demonstrating the power of deeply rooted partnerships, dedicated public servants, and forward thinking local leaders in revolutionizing how schools approach food and helping future generations grow up healthy.
Leadership
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Curt Elllis
Co-founder and CEO