PELION -- 11-year-old Jamaal Jacobs of Pelion Elementary is helping to plant seeds of change in his school cafeteria.
“It’s hard work, but the reward is just seeing how well you did,” said 11-year-old Jaamal Jacobs.
On Tuesday, a group of fourth and fifth graders visited the Walter P. Rawl and Sons Farm.
It's their second trip to the farm, but instead of just scattering seeds this time, the students were able to pick the radishes that they have been growing.
“I feel really good about that because I thought it may not work,” says 10-year-old Megan Dennis, “but it worked.”
Pelion Elementary is one of 70 Lexington County schools taking part in the pilot program called Farm to School, which aims to increase the amount of locally-grown foods in student's diets.
Over the week, students across Lexington County will consume 26,000 pounds of fresh produce.
“Our goal is that when fruits and vegetables are in season, we will have them in our schools,” said Todd Bedenbaugh of the Department of Education.
The initiative will also benefit the state's agri-business, which provides nearly 200,000 jobs.
As for Pelion Elementary students, they know firsthand where food is grown, and will be able to takes those lessons from the farm to school.
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