DINE with Durham #NCFarmtoSummer Activities

Our first success story highlights the collaboration of the Durham County Health Department DINE Program with preschools, schools, and community organizations.

The DINE Program staff and interns hosted a variety of #NCFarmtoSummer activities with kids. They talked about pollinators and the parts of bugs and made veggie bugs using spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots. They looked at pictures of a strawberry growing on a farm, examined and identified parts of a strawberry, and tasted strawberry yogurt parfaits. They tasted watermelon and used cookie cutters and melon ballers to cut out watermelon pieces. They also looked at photos of melons growing on a farm, labeled plant parts, and compared and contrasted watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe. They discussed eating the rainbow and made rainbow pizzas using whole wheat English muffins, red sauce and/or pesto, cheese, multicolored bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, and corn. Staff was able to deliver seedlings donated from the Inter-faith Food Shuttle (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and eggplant). In addition, the DINE Program installed raised bed gardens at a community center and distributed gardening kits at a PORCH food distribution. The gardening kits contained seeds, soil, directions on growing microgreens at home, and incentives like pencils and bookmarks.

Be on the lookout for more success stories on our newsfeed and social media. Thanks to all who participated in the #NCFarmtoSummer Challenge!