Farm Stand at Niemes Elementary Offers Affordable, Healthy Snacks

The School PTA is changing the health of their students one snack at a time. Last November, the PTA, along with the help of the Network for a Healthy California, created the Niemes Farm Stand, an after-school fundraiser that only sells fresh and healthy snacks to students and their families.

At the Farm Stand, which is open four days a month, items such as fruit smoothies, guacamole, and pears with yogurt are sold. Students help make and sell the food, and since the Farm Stand opened, it has been a hit with the Niemes community.

“We always sell out of food,” said Melissa Gutierrez, the Master Gardener who heads the Farm Stand.

All items are sold for $1 each so that the snacks are affordable for everyone.

“The objective is to increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables instead of raising money,” Gutierrez said.

Currently, the PTA funds the Farm Stand, and all the money that it earns each month goes toward purchasing food for the following month’s event.

To help with the efforts, the Network for a Healthy California offers advice and easy recipes to the Farm Stand. They also teach staff and students proper food handling.

The idea to create the Farm Stand came from a parent who believed the concept could encourage healthier eating habits. According to Gutierrez, this year parents agreed to ban certain foods from the classroom, such as chips, cupcakes, and cakes for birthday parties. Gutierrez said the Farm Stand tries to offer healthy options that are tasty and fun to eat so that students can see there are other choice beyond traditional junk food.

Part of teaching the students to eat better is to have them help with the monthly event. Each month, four students man the stand, preparing and serving food to their peers. Working the Farm Stand not only helps them learn new recipes, but also teaches them responsibility.

“It’s fun to serve people and I like being helpful,” said Dev Bhatia, 12, who served guacamole and tortilla chips.

Gutierrez said the initial success of the Niemes Farm Stand is a good first step toward developing a healthier community, and hopes that students and their families will learn to choose better foods by being exposed to new, fun and healthy snacks.