For us at HFHK, 2018 was all about setting the stage for the growth of our organization as the “First State School Garden Experts”. While continuing to support students’ garden education at 30+ partner schools, we raced to the finish line of our Longwood Foundation Matching Grant challenge in March of 2018 and were awarded $65,000 dollars to ensure the long-term sustainability of our organization. We also welcomed two new board members and implemented 2 new school gardens as well as a teaching garden at Historic Penn Farm. We could not have done this without the support of many of you! Every time we asked for help, whether it was one final push to meet the fundraising challenge in March, help to build new gardens or harvest existing ones, or help with our annual Spaghetti Soiree, you answered with a resounding “yes”. Your commitment to improving the health of Delaware’s school children is greatly appreciated! We met our match! Thanks to you and your unwavering support, we were able to raise $65,000 to meet the Longwood Foundation Matching Grant challenge in March of 2018. This was no small feat for an organization of our size as it required us to raise more than our 2016 annual operating budget in just 9 months! To secure the matching grant, we also needed to convince the Longwood Foundation that our mission to place a garden in every school in DE has the support of individuals, foundations, businesses and other organizations within the community that we serve. With the combined funds, we were able to provide fundraising training to our

board and hire our new Director of Development, Allen Reese. We were thrilled to welcome Allen in February of 2019 as he brings a wealth of development and nonprofit management experience to our organization. His focus will be on developing the fundraising network needed to support new school gardens across the entire state of Delaware. New school gardens Despite our focus on the Longwood Foundation matching grant, our small staff and devoted volunteers worked diligently in 2018 to expand on our goal of educating Delaware’s school children about vegetables and their central role in a healthy diet. We are continuously working with potential partners to bring the HFHK school garden model to their school. Our new garden at Gallaher Elementary School in Newark is a text book example of how the HFHK model works all the way from helping schools secure funding for garden materials, to building the gardens and modeling HFHK’s curriculum for teachers! Working with enrichment teacher, and new garden coordinator, Tara Lynch, and several Gallaher families and a team of volunteers from WSFS Bank, we were able to get the garden and shed constructed just in time for the students to plant and harvest their first crop in Spring of 2018.

HFHK Sets the Stage for Growth in 2018

January—December 2018 The First State School Garden Experts!

HFHK Veggie-cates the First State!

Inside this issue:

HFHK Sets the Stage for Growth in 2018

1

Spaghetti Soirée on Groundhog Day

2

Thank you to our HFHK Community

3

HFHK’s Mission & Vision

4

Working with HFHK in 4 simple steps

4

HFHK Partner Schools

Brader Brookside Carrie Downie Delaware School for

the Deaf Douglass Downes Eisenberg Elbert-Palmer Forest Oak Forwood ES Freire Charter Gallaher ES HB DuPont MS Highlands Keene Lombardy Marbrook Marshall Mt Pleasant ES Nativity Prep New Castle ES North Star Odyssey Charter Pleasantville Read Middle Red Lion CA Rehoboth Richardson Park Serviam Girls Academy Shortlidge Springer Middle West Park Place Wilson

In 2018, we were also very excited to expand our program to Historic Penn Farm through a partnership with the Colonial School District. This program was the brainchild of Nutrition Outreach Specialist Scott Schuster and Farm to School Manager Toby Hagerott and is funded by a two-year Specialty Crop Block Grant from the state of DE. HFHK’s role was to adapt our core curriculum on vegetable gardening to educate students on the central role that plants play in the larger farm ecosystem. Hundreds of students from Wilmington Manor, Wilbur and Southern Elementary Schools

along with several local scout troops visited the farm in 2018 to learn about the interconnectedness of the plants, animals and insects that thrive on the farm. In addition to expanding our reach and programming scope, this project also demonstrates the very important role that school Nutrition Services plays in many of our school gardens as we want students to learn to grow and love eating vegetables, too! New Board Members To continue our maturation into a sustainable organization, we continue to welcome new talent onto our board. In 2018, we were thrilled to welcome two new board members, Jolisa Copeman and Malina Robbins.

Page 2 HFHK Veggie-cates

On the way to achieving the Longwood Match, HFHK hosted a Spaghetti Soirée on Groundhog Day. The event featured a family friendly spaghetti dinner prepared by Chef Jim Rock from Culinary Architects,

exquisite ice cream flavors from UD Creamery, wine and beer for adults from Breakthru Beverage and Dogfish Brewery, and both silent and basket raffle auctions. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters we successfully completed this tremendous feat. We are truly grateful for the outpouring of support to fuel

our mission. It is our long-term vision to “Veggie-cate the First State” as we seek to expand our program statewide.

Spaghetti Soirée on Groundhog Day

HFHK Sets the Stage for Growth in 2018 (Continued from page 1)

Jolisa Copeman   Malina Robbins 

Grantors:

The Longwood Foundation, Delaware Community Foundation/Eliason Education & Greening Fund, State of Delaware Grant-In-Aid, Christ Church Christiana Hundred, New Castle Conservation District (cost-share for Douglass School and Lombardy ES projects), Helen Harting Abell Fund of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties.

Individual donors:

Anonymous, Lois Ashworth, Alisha Beckford, Carol & Joe Bonella, Dr. Barbara Boyce, Kaitlin Bowman, The Brody Family, Rebecca Brown, Marshall Christensen, Sundra & Ethan Christensen, Jason Cohen, Lynn Dekleva, Laura Fontana, Hetty & Hans Francke, Mary Beth French, Randi Gerber, Pam Gouge, Angela Gifford, Stephanie Cory Gorris, Pamela Hanlon, Ruthe Hay, Dr. Lisa & Mark Hoffman, Max Holdsworth, Dr. Margaret Hollingsworth, Dr. Kathy Hoy, Karen Hudson, Amy Johnson, Michael Klapproth, Roanne & David Karzon, Carol Kirshner, Lindsay & Rob Lancaster, Svetlana Lisanti, Nancy Littleton, David Marvel Jr. Family, C. Anthony & Brenda McDonald, Kathryn K. McKenney, Kerry B. McKenney, Natalie & Tom McKenney, Richard & Nancy Mercante, Jennie Miller, Dr. Zarela Molle Rios, Brenda Morris, Johanna Mudry, Anita Muir, Nancy Myers, Drs. Jonathon Narita & Thianda Manzara, Kate Narita, Lyndon & Grace Narita, Mary Narita, Renold & Dorothy Narita, Dr. Linda O’Hara, Deniz Odes, Andrea & Herbert Ouida, Drs. Kevin & Hermona Pandya, Chris & Susan Pappas, Nicholas & Dorothy Pappas, Dr. Thalia Pappas, Robert Pasteris, Gary Peters, Jessica Peters, Dr. Eva Peterson, Carol Purse, Malina Robbins, Maureen Romeo, Pamela Sapko, Suzanne Sawyer, Jane Schindewolf, Daniel Schwendeman, Joan Sharp, Milton & Jill Simonds, Kent Smith, Andrea Solge, James & Annie Starr, Holly Stratton & Dr. David Stone, Rachel Strauss, Joanna Suder, James Sweigard, Dr. Frances Taccone, Libby Sullivan Trammell & George Trammell, Wendy Turner, Srinvasa Uppalapati, Mary Van Deusen, Gerrit & Marianne Van Tilberg, Dr. Amy Vollmer and Anthony Stella, Barbara Webb, Bonnie Weiskott, Barbara & Mark Weiss, Judy Wright.

Organizational donors and sponsors:

Ameriprise Financial, Inc., Costco, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware, J.P. Morgan Chase (matching gift), Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

of Newark, Wawa Foundation, WSFS Bank, In-kind: Alexandra Kaplan Pratz, Altitude Trampoline, Axxiom Escape Rooms, Big Fish Grill, Brandywine Valley Massage, Brandywine Zoo, Calvert Farm, Catherine Rooney’s Irish Pub, Chef Rock’s Kitchen & Catering, Deerfield Wines, Delaware Children’s Museum, Delaware Children’s Theater, Delaware Theater Company, Dental Associates of Delaware, Empowered Yoga, Grand Opera House, Hagley Museum, Harvest Market, Hockessin Athletic Club, Kramer Portraits, LeCocq Designs, Levine Vaughan Dental Associates, Liberty Yoga, Oasis Family Fun Center, Ooh la la Make-up Studio, Newark Natural Foods, Penn’s Wood Winery, Permanent Cosmetic Studio, Pure Yoga Pilates Studio, Salon Rispoli, Tonic Bar & Grill, Trap Pond State Park, Washington Street Ale House, Whitewater Challengers, Wild Birds, Winterthur Museum and Gardens, Woodside Farm Creamery, World Centric, Zingos Market.

Providers of in-kind services:

PHS Corporate Services.

The truly fabulous school principals, teachers, staff, and parent volunteers who make our programming possible,:

Christina Child Nutrition Services Supervisor Andrea Solge & Nutrition Specialist Kendall Wagner & their team, Colonial School District (SD) Nutrition Services Supervisor Paula Angelucci & Nutrition Specialist Scott Schuster & Operations Manager Tammy Roop and their team, Colonial SD Operations, Red Clay SD Nutrition Specialist Jessica Farrand & Manager Jessica Terranova & team. Brandywine SD Supervisor Pam Gouge and Specialist Colleen Carter & team.

Principals/Administrators:

Jeanette Ganc, Eric Stephens, Douglass Timm, Patricia Prettyman, John Martin, David Distler, Dr. Gina Moody, Erin NeCastro, Michael McDermott, Barbara Land, Mariellen Taraboletti, Linda Jarman, Melissa Phillips, Amy Selheimer, Matthew Auerbach, Paul Webster, Nneka Jones, Dr. Karin Jakubowski, Jennifer Alexander, Holly Sage, Laura Helton, Maribeth Courtney, Dr. Tracy Woodson, Ledonnis Hernandez, Natalie Birch, Paul Ramirez, Jason Bastianelli, Kate Lucyk, Erin Cassel.

Garden coordinators:

Sharon Brubaker, Mary Beth French, Maria duPont, Nada Jones, Liz Cain,

Melissa Schuibbeo, Sarah Kise, Kelli Batten, Candace Dutcher-Kogut, Denise Robinson, Margaret Brown, Dasianee Foster, Mary Jo Reighart, Sandy Harper, Eve Buckley, Rebecca Krieg, Sarah Garrett, Colleen Sauder, Kathleen Vachris, Elaine Mendelson, Maryann McConnell, Nancy Rybinski, Jean Tucker, Scott Martin, Dwight Jones, Karen Conte, Carrie Murphy, Jason Cohen, Paula Woolfolk Cohen, Wendy Turner, James Ferguson, Tom Reist, Natalie Alexander, Kara Patti, Megan Nowell, Linda Alles, Michele Madorma, Gina Beyer, Vicky Harpster, Desiree Faison, Diane Mahotiere, David Brown, Maureen Romeo, Lawrence Evans, Irene Skelly, Rebecca Schuck, Danielle Black, Katie LeCocq, Melissa Tracy, Tara Lynch.

School Garden and Community Dinner volunteers:

Countryside Garden Club, Garden Gate Garden Club. Lee Alyanakian, Dr. Barbara Boyce, Wayne Corbin, Phoebe Perkins, Maureen Stone.

Farmers:

David Marvel of Marvel Farms, Pam Stegall of Calvert Farm, H.G. Haskell of SIW Vegetables, Toby Hagerott of Penn Farm.

Partners and Networks:

NCC Cooperative Extension: Educator, Horticulture Carrie Murphy, Master Gardeners Lois Ashworth and Hetty Francke. Healthy Kids Delaware: especially Debbie Neff and Randi Novakoff, and Community Dinner exhibitors. Delaware Urban Farm and Food Coalition, especially Carrie Murphy & Ann Mattingly, Delaware Children in Nature, especially Angel Burns. University of Delaware Community Nutrition class faculty & students.

HFHK Board Committee and Event volunteers:

Alisha Beckford, Joan Burke, Jennifer Cipolla, Chuck Dobbs, Jenn Miller, Libby Sullivan Trammell, Jr League of Wilmington, and student volunteers.

Our wonderful HFHK Board members, with SPECIAL THANKS TO CREATIVE

FINANCIAL GROUP FOR USE OF THEIR FACILITIES.

Thank you to our HFHK Community

Page 3 The First State School Garden Experts!

The Mission of Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids is to design and implement food and garden-based educational programs for Delaware schools that support content standards and promote student health.

Our Vision is to inspire and motivate youth to develop lifelong wholesome eating habits by experiencing the joy of growing, cooking, and eating garden-fresh vegetables.

Working with HFHK in 4 simple steps

Gallaher Elementary School illustrates how they worked with HFHK to help fund and build their garden, and engage all the students in the HFHK Education Cultivation Program.

Step 1: Create a Garden Steering Committee that works with HFHK to secure grant funding and plan the garden build.

Step 2: Recruit school families and staff and WSFS Bank community volunteers to help build the garden, under the supervision of HFHK, and with the help of Christina School District facilities.

Step 3: Implement HFHK Education Cultivation Program, in which students plant, water and harvest their garden.

Step 4: Finally, the garden feast! Gallaher students are lucky to have Holly Hudson as their cafeteria manager, who, together with her team, makes it possible for students to eat the vegetables they grow.

The result? Kids who learn science through hands-on gardening experience and enjoy eating the veggies they’ve grown!

2018 HFHK Board of Directors Thianda Manzara, PhD, Founder & President/CEO

C. Anthony McDonald, CLU, ChFC, MSFA Chair Frances Taccone (Griffith), PhD, RD/LDN Vice chair

Linda O’Hara, MBA, PhD Treasurer

Nancy Littleton, LUTCF, ChFC, CLU, RICP Secretary Jason Cohen

Jolisa Copeman

Lisa Hoffman, PhD

Natalie McKenney, RDN

Thalia Pappas, PhD

Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids P.O. Box 847 Hockessin, DE 19707 Phone: 302-981-0043 info@healthyfoodsforhealthykids.org www.healthyfoodsforhealthykids.org

From left: Becky Lejeune, Dana DaSilva, Jessie Alms and Garden Coordinator Tara Lynch.