PROGRAM INFORMATION
For more information, contact:
Alexandra Emmott
Farm to School Supervisor
Oakland Unified School District
Department of Nutrition Services
510-434-3334
HEALTHY STUDENTS SUCCEED!
Frequently Asked Questions
Continued
Do I have to hire a market manger? Can I just
run the market with volunteers?
We prefer the school site hires a market man-
ager because of the volume of work and the
training required to successfully operate a
market. Few schools have successfully run a
market without a paid manger.
What happens to the money?
The Oakland Fresh Program as a network
breaks even on food and supply costs, meaning
some schools make a bit of money and some
school lose a bit of money. Labor (central and
school site) must be funded separately. Prices
are intentionally kept low to maintain afforda-
bility for families.
About Oakland Fresh
The Oakland Fresh School Produce Markets were created to build a school-based local food system to increase
access to fresh, healthy, and afforda-
ble food for Oakland residents and pro-
mote healthy school environments
for our children and families.
OUSD Nutrition Services currently sponsors a network of almost 20 school produce markets throughout the dis-trict that sell mostly locally grown and pesticide-free fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, honey. Produce is purchased
from local family farmers and
produce distributors, and sold by par-ents and students during after-school hours every week at each school site. The markets are open to parents, stu-dents, school staff, and the broader community.
Last year, we sold over $130,000 of produce, supported over 8 family farms, and engaged over 150 parents and community residents as volun-teers.
Interested in a Market at Your School?
A produce market is a great way to build com-munity and promote health at your school. It’s also a low-cost intervention to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for students and families.
Responsibility for the program is shared be-tween OUSD Nutrition Services and the School Site.
Nutrition Services Responsibilities:
Central coordination and training.
Purchasing supplies and produce.
Vendor negotiation and contracts.
Technical assistance.
Money management.
Funding for central labor including pro-gram coordinator and accounting staff.
School Site Responsibilities:
Identifying a market manager and parent volunteers.
Funding for market manager position—$3,000-$5,000 per year.
Weekly operation of market including set up, break down, and completing online accounting reports and ordering—this is coordinated by the market manager.
Compliance with all Oakland Fresh pro-gram policies.
Dropping off weekly deposits at Nutrition Service’s main office at 900 High Street.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the produce sourced from?
We are working with Capay Organics to
source and aggregate produce from a variety
of small growers surrounding Oakland. We
supplement these purchases with produce
from our produce distributor.
How are prices set?
We mark up about 18% from wholesale and
try to keep prices as low as possible.
Can my school choose to sell only organic
produce?
Yes, schools order weekly online and tailor
their markets to meet the needs of their
school community.
When is training for the program held?
Once annually in September.
Can any school participate in Oakland
Fresh?
Yes! Any school interested an able to fulfill
the School Site Responsibilities can partici-
pate. Historically, the produce market pro-
gram has been more successful in elemen-
tary schools because of increased parent
participation.
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE…...