FOODCORPS
What if acres of corn like Ian and Curt’s could be turned into school gardens? King Corn co-creator Curt Ellis is helping to do just that as Co-Founder and Executive Director of the national nonprofit organization FoodCorps. Essentially a “Teach for America” for school food, FoodCorps recruits leaders for a year of full-time public service in high-obesity, limited-resource public schools. Service members deliver food and nutrition education that teaches kids what healthy food is, build and tend school gardens that engage children and parents in growing fresh food in the schoolyard, and team up with farmers and chefs to get healthy, high-quality ingredients into school lunch.
THE PROBLEM:
- In the last 30 years, childhood obesity rates have tripled
- One in two children of color is on track to develop Type II diabetes
THE SOLUTION:
- FoodCorps currently has 50 full-time service members working in 10 states
- 1229 candidates applied for those first 50 spots
- FoodCorps plans to double its service force in 2012
TAKE ACTION AT FoodCorps.
