Farmers Markets Come to Vista Schools

Five Vista Unified schools were treated to farmers market events during the week of October 7th, as the district's pioneering Child Nutrition Services department (aka WaveCrest Cafe) celebrated National Farm to School Month. Students learned about local and California foods that are available at school while also having a chance to “shop” for fresh foods to take home.

The farmers market events have become an annual event at the district’s elementary schools, and this year the program expanded to its first-ever high school. “Farmers markets are a fantastic way for us to engage with students, help them learn where their food comes from, and realize that the food they have at school is fresh and often local,” says Karly Wasung, Director of Child Nutrition Services for Vista Unified.

“When students can try new foods and learn about the people that grow their food, they have a closer connection to it when they go to the cafeteria for breakfast or lunch. That connection makes a big difference in expanding the kinds of food eaten and developing healthy, lifelong eating habits.”

The markets are run by Food 4 Thought, a Central Valley company that works with more than two dozen small family farms across the region. The organization sets up tables with various freshly harvested foods and gives students an overview of the foods and the farmers growing them.

After being educated about the foods, students receive a coupon they use to “shop” for a select number of items that can be taken home. “We emphasize our students’ ability to make choices about the foods they select,” says Wasung.

“At meal times we encourage students to ‘Build Your Perfect Plate’ and choose from the many options available on our salad bars. We use the USDA-recommended framework of ‘Offer Vs. Serve’ so that students experience their agency when putting meals together.”

Vista Unified has a long-running Farm to School program, providing locally sourced foods, nutrition education, and support for school gardens. Over the course of the 2023-24 school year, the department purchased more than 201,000 lbs of fruits and vegetables from California farms, an increase of nearly 8,000 lbs (or 4 tons) over the previous year.

In addition to Food 4 Thought's network of farms, VUSD's WaveCrest Cafe works with a number of local farmers, including nearby Dassi Family Farms in Leucadia, Fallbrook's Dickinson Family Farms, Sage Mountain Farms in Anza, and others.

For October’s Farm to School celebration, five VUSD schools will host farmers' markets. The market events will visit every elementary school in Vista Unified throughout the year, with additional schools hosting in December and in March 2025. This year marks a first for the program as Major General Murray High School joins the lineup, with visitors from Alta Vista High School joining the event.