Ticonderoga School District adding Lillie Valley Farm products to cafeteria menu

TICONDEROGA | Thanks to the New York State Education Department distributing almost $59.5 million Supply Chain Assistance Funds directly to eligible School Food Authorities, Ticonderoga students will now be indulging in Lillie Valley Farm meat products as part of their school lunches. "I personally buy from Lillie Valley and when the Assistance Program was offered to the schools for shortfalls I knew exactly where I was going," said Bobbie Jean Fish, cafeteria manager for the Ticonderoga School District. Addressing supply chain disruptions brought on by the pandemic and aiming to support the purchase of food for school meals, the program encouraged school administrators to spend their allocated funds locally. After reviewing the program rulings, Fish, alongside School Business Administrator Laurie Cossey, began the collaboration with Lillie Valley Farms last year and recently received their first drop of 700 pounds of ground beef. "When I came to the district several years ago my goal was serving a better product," Fish explained. "My motto is fresh is best. The pandemic, sad to say, has put some restrictions on spending for sure with the shortfalls of foods and inflation; this assistance came at the perfect time." Lillie Valley Farm, located in Putnam Station, raises USDA-inspected beef, pork, lamb, duck, and chicken. They also carry milk products from Battenkill Dairy and eggs from their own chickens, as well as other locally sourced products when available, making them a huge asset in the area for those who desire farm-to-table offerings. "Bonnie and Sid Barnhart took a small farm and turned it into an amazing source of nourishment for our community," commended Fish of the managing duo, adding they have been great to work with during the process with the school. "Throughout the pandemic, and even now, food shortages in stores are crazy. I love the fact I can drive just a few miles and get an amazing product for home. Now we can say our kids in our district can have this opportunity also." In addition to the ground beef, the school will also be receiving breakfast sausage and pork butt from Lillie Valley. "We will be serving some of our fan favorites, like hamburger gravy over country mashed potatoes, but also are looking to be able to serve a local beef product, such as tacos on Taco Tuesday, (in addition) to the ever-favorite of spaghetti and meatballs," Fish said of the planned school lunch menu items. Ticonderoga is a federally funded school, receiving what Fish refers to "brown box food," a product donated to the USDA and a product that all schools can use if they are in the National School Lunch Program. Part of the St. Lawrence school bidding, they still utilize vendors such as Renzi Foodservice and Sysco Corp. "We have been lucky enough to get these items, but keep in mind most are processed items and have soy pulp or filler," informed Fish. "The meat from Lillie Valley is a locally sourced product and has no fillers; it's an added bonus for us." Fish said the first tasting of the Lillie Valley Farm beef was held on Wednesday, Dec. 14, with cheeseburgers made with the product offered as an alternative lunch option. "We sold out in two lunch periods," Fish offered. "We received nothing but rave reviews." In hopes that the joint effort with Lillie Valley Farm will be one that keeps going into the future, Fish said the Ticonderoga District is all for being better and being local, working with multiple sources to be able to provide the students with as many New York State products as possible, including farm milk, yogurt, and string cheese, and locally sourced fruits and vegetables when the season allows. "Schools need to be recognized just like our local farms in how we feed our kids," said Fish. "USDA guidelines can be tough to ensure your kids get enough, but knowing they are eating local farm-to-table meats and fruits and vegetables is a start."

Signup for our newsletter

Ticonderoga School District adding Lillie Valley Farm products to cafeteria menu

COMPANY

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SUBMISSION FORMS

BEYOND THE NEWS