REDMOND, OR -- A national program aimed at improving childhood nutrition is expanding in Redmond. "FoodCorps’ mission is to help kids learn how to eat well, in terms of nutrition - good nutrition and that kind of stuff," Redmond Schools Superintendent Dr. Charan Cline tells KBND News, "Really focusing on getting our kids eating fresh fruits and fresh vegetables."

He says the program will grow to all schools this year, after a successful start at one location, "Last year, we had a FoodCorps person sitting at Lynch Elementary, which is our school that has the highest poverty rate in our district. And the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables those kids ate by far was higher than any other school. They really had a huge impact. Kids were trying new kinds of food; they were really focusing on eating healthy."

FoodCorps serves two other districts in Oregon: Portland and Umatilla, as well as programs in 15 other states. "It’s like an AmeriCorps kind of position, where young people around the nation agree to serve for a couple of years at fairly low pay, and they go and they do good work around the nation," says Dr. Cline, "You see this with teaching corps, you see this with AmeriCorps."

The local program is a partnership with The Environmental Center in Bend and OSU’s Extension Office. It includes classroom lessons, work in school gardens and cafeteria-based food tastings. Cline says, "We’re looking forward to seeing what it can do for kids’ health and just attitude about eating healthy"

Photo courtesy of FoodCorps: A FoodCorps worker delivers apples at M.A. Lynch Elementary in Redmond.