Campaign Outreach Toolkit- Link here!

This resource supports 2022 campaign participants in promotion and outreach of the 2022 Iowa Farm to Summer Campaign, “Let Us Eat Lettuce!” Within the Outreach Toolkit, you’ll find suggested copy for promoting your campaign on social media, in newsletters, blogs, and more. Spread the word about your community campaign by sharing information, pictures and highlights that celebrate your work!

Use these resources to connect with local farmers and food hubs near you! If you received a $200 mini-grant, remember that it must be spent on local food (lettuce or other local produce).

• IDALS Farm to School Producer Directory can be used by schools and early care sites to find locally grown food and by producers to list their available products.

• The Iowa Food Hub Directory lists location, product, and contact information for food hubs serving Iowa communities. A Food Hub is a centrally located facility that purchases and aggregates local food from numerous farms, then stores, sometimes processes, and distributes to local or regional purchasers. 

• Practical Farmers of Iowa Local Food Directory hosts information about PFI-farmer-raised products; this directory offers farm name, website, cities served, and available products. Just enter the name of your city or town.

• Iowa MarketMaker is useful for producers, buyers, consumers. Search by location or product (carrots!) to find producers and contact information. 

• Staff with ISU Farm, Food, and Enterprise Development can offer direct consultation and connections to local farmers. Email cekrist@iastate.edu. 

Videos:

• Lettuce Eat Greens, from Guiding Green Thumbs

• Farm to School: Lettuce, from REAP Food Group

Recipes:

• Orange Dressing with Fruit and Greens, from Spend Smart, Eat Smart, ISU Extension

• Garden Green Salad, from North Iowa Fresh

Growing:

• Lettuce Start Gardening! Guide to Growing Lettuce in Containers, from ISU Extension

• Growing Lettuce: Easy Steps with The Gardening Kid, from The Gardening Kid (video)

Taste tests build a culture of trying new things in an encouraging, positive environment! Taste testing is a simple, versatile learning activity that offers youth the opportunity to try small samples of local foods, reflect on their preferences, and use their voice to share feedback. The following tips are designed for sites to support on-site or take-home taste testing. 

• For Congregate or Grab n’ Go Meals: Consider if/how the local food should be processed, packaged, and included in take-home meals. 

  • Lettuce leaves, washed and served

  • Lettuce, whole or shredded, served in 4oz portion cups with lids or baggies

  • Lettuce leaves incorporated into a simple recipe (ex. Serve a fresh salad, with dressing, or a dip; incorporate as a topping on tacos!)

• Share these Tasting Instructions + Best Practices: To encourage on-site or at home taste-testing, consider sharing these taste test instructions:

  • Reflect: Encourage youth to use their senses and take it slow while tasting the sample. What does it sound and feel like? Does it remind you of any other foods? What do you like?

  • Don’t Yuck My Yum! Remind youth to avoid saying negative things about how something tastes, as it might hurt feelings and discourage others from trying something new. Encourage students to use language like “it’s not my favorite.” Note: No one has to try the food, but everyone is supported and encouraged to participate. Everyone’s opinion matters. 

  • Voting: Once everyone has tried a sample, they will share their opinion of the food. A thumbs up (“I like it”), sideways thumb (“it was ok”), or thumbs down (“it wasn’t my favorite”) is a simple, respectful voting system. 

  • Share the Recipes: Students love to share what they have done and learned at school with their families. One taste test can easily turn into four or five!

  • Share the Smiles: Post photos, voting results, comments or recipes to your site’s Facebook page or other social media platforms, and please use the following hashtag: #IowaFarmtoSummer

Coloring Sheet! To download the coloring sheet, click the image below and a downloadable file will open in a new window.