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Fresh Produce and New Experiences at Goshen Lane and Royal Manor

Students browse an indoor farmers market display stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, choosing items to place in paper bags.

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools students at Royal Manor and Goshen Lane Elementary spent the 2025-26 school year discovering new flavors, building healthy habits and exploring fresh fruits and vegetables thanks to a $40,000 Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) grant.

The grant, awarded through the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, allowed GJPS Food Service staff to provide students with a wide variety of fresh produce throughout the school year. The program is designed to introduce children to healthy snack options, expand the variety of fruits and vegetables they experience and encourage lifelong healthy eating habits.

Throughout the year, students sampled 39 different fruits and vegetables as part of the program. Items were offered during the school day, giving students opportunities to taste foods they might not otherwise have encountered and to learn about the nutritional benefits of fresh produce.

The year-long experience culminated in a special Farmers Market event held at each school in May.

Transforming school spaces into colorful produce markets, GJPS Food Service staff created an interactive experience where students could sample unique fruits and vegetables, earn "Market Bucks" for trying new foods and then use those bucks to "purchase" fresh produce to take home to enjoy with their families.

Students sampled items including roasted green and purple asparagus, fresh corn salsa, dragon fruit, mangos and fresh berry compote. Armed with their Market Bucks, students selected from an impressive assortment of fresh produce including cotton candy grapes, white peaches, apricots, kiwi, rainbow carrots, sweet mini peppers, heirloom tomatoes, collard greens, hydroponic butterhead lettuce and Ohio-grown apples.

Recipe cards accompanied many of the items, helping families continue the experience at home and encouraging students to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into everyday meals.

"Many students tried fruits and vegetables they had never seen before, let alone tasted," said GJPS Food Service Supervisor Steve Ishmael. "Watching them explore new foods, ask questions and discover favorites was incredibly rewarding. The Farmers Market gave students a fun, hands-on experience that helped bring healthy eating to life."

The program made a significant impact at both schools. Goshen Lane Elementary and Royal Manor Elementary were both eligible to participate in the program due to the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced meals. Together, students at the two schools sampled dozens of fresh produce items throughout the year and an additional 37 fruits and vegetables during the Farmers Market events alone.

"Our goal wasn't just to serve fruits and vegetables," Ishmael said. "It was to create positive experiences around healthy foods. The Farmers Market gave students the chance to learn, explore and take those experiences home to their families."

The success of the program was made possible through the efforts of the District's Food Service team, including Kitchen Leads Abby Murray at Royal Manor and Evan Coleman at Goshen Lane, along with their dedicated staff members. Special recognition also goes to Ishmael and Food Service Secretary Stormi Gibson for coordinating and bringing the grant program to life.

As students headed into summer, many left with more than bags of fresh produce. They gained new experiences, new tastes and a greater appreciation for healthy foods that can support their well-being for years to come.

 

A group of children stand in line at a farmers market, with fresh produce and a %22FARMERS MARKET%22 sign visible in the background.
Children browse a farmer's market stall filled with fresh produce, while a man stands in the background.
A table laden with individual servings of fruit and vegetables is set against a backdrop of a %22Farmers Market%22 sign and a buffet of cooked dishes.
Three smiling girls sit on a blue bench in the foreground, holding small cups of food, with a brick building and playground equipment in the background.
Children browse a colorful produce stand filled with fruits and vegetables in the foreground, while a vendor serves them under a white tent in the background.
Children select fresh produce from a market stall with a building featuring large windows in the background.
A young boy in the foreground uses tongs to select food from a cafeteria serving line, while other students are visible in the blurred background.
A man in a blue shirt and black apron offers samples of chopped bell peppers from a table laden with colorful peppers and small cups, with a building and people visible in the background.
A woman in an apron and gloves slices fruit at a table laden with small cups of fruit, while dragon fruit and pineapple are visible in the background.
Fresh produce is displayed on tables under a tent at a farmers market, with boxes of corn and peppers in the foreground and a classroom setting visible in the background.