The Sitka Conservation Society Fish to Schools Program
Alaska imports more than 95% of its food and the average grocery store only has enough food for three days. The Sitka Conservation Society is working towards creating a more resilient food system by supporting local efforts to protect the habitat of wild foods, support traditional harvest/subsistence lifestyles, increase local food production, create access to wild seafood, reform the school lunch program to include local foods, and increase awareness of local fishing culture.
The Sitka Conservation Society (SCS) is a founding partner and coordinator of the Sitka “Fish to Schools” program. Their mission is to deepen youth understanding of local seafood resources by integrating locally-caught seafood into the school lunch program, introducing stream to plate curricula, and fostering a connection to the local fishing culture. SCS chose to engage in this project because local food was absent from school lunches, even though Sitka is the ninth largest seafood port in the United States. They believe that students should have access to this nutritious, local food that drives our local economy and represents the interconnectedness of our community. These local meals also require less dependency on feedlot meats and begin the foundation of a more resilient, regionally-adapted school lunch program.
Learn more about the Fish to Schools Program:
- As featured in this blog post from the Healthy Schools Campaign, a national non-profit organization working to create healthier school environments.
- An audio postcard featured on KCAW spotlighting a local, native foods cooking class at Sitka’s Mt. Edgecumbe High School taught byAlaska chef Rob Kinneen
Program information and photograph courtesy of the Sitka Conservation Society website
If you would like SAWC to promote your community based project or program, please contact Angie Eldred SAWC Communications Coordinator angie@alaskawatershedcoalition.org (907) 231-1710 (c)