By Heather Borochaner (Class of 2017)
Representatives from Delaware College, Doylestown Food Co-op, and Rolling Harvest Food Recovery spoke with New Hope-Solebury eighth-grade students seeking some extra credit on the evening of Oct. 17, and projected the documentary Ingredients onto an exterior wall of the New Hope-Solebury Middle School building.
They also provided information about American farmers, their struggles, and the benefits of eating fresh, raw foods without any chemical “bonuses.”
The event was hosted by New Hope-Solebury Middle School English teacher Mrs. Jaeger, with appearances by Mrs. O’Donnell and Mrs. Hamill. Students and parents laid out blankets or sat in chairs for the occasion, and some just sat in the grass.
After the movie, a small panel was held where the guests from the three organizations answered questions posed by students, teachers, and parents. Fresh fruits were offered as snacks, along with some great apple cider for drinking.
One of the main points Ingredients made was about the benefits of eating locally, which helps ensure that the food you’re eating is not months old by the time it reaches your mouth. One middle school student asked about the ability of local farms to meet the needs of the local population: “If everyone ate locally, would there be enough for everyone in the area?”
The answer was ‘no,’ only because so much land is used for housing and shops that there simply is not enough land available for farming. However, one solution to this would be using lawns as gardens to provide fresh food.
Although the night was chilly, and blankets and sweaters were definitely needed to sit through the movie and interview, not to mention the lone bat that spent a good 15 minutes terrorizing unsuspecting middle school students, it was an enjoyable and informative experience about healthy foods and how to access them. The documentary Ingredients is a highly recommended watch for anyone interested in health and nutrition.
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