Adam Reeve is an Urban Education & Outreach Intern.

Last Monday the Farmer’s Market and Urban Education and Outreach interns went to the state house. The purpose to our visit was to discuss several bills that tie in closely with the mission of The Food Project with our representatives. We spent the morning in a business building nearby, rehearsing what to say to the congressmen. Mid-morning, we set off for the statehouse and quickly started on a tour of the building. Maureen Ferris, who is familiar with the Food Project and delighted in seeing us, gave the tour. Over the course of the tour we learned all sorts of facts about the state house, saw members of the senate in action, and were given some tips if we ever wanted to get into politics.

After breaking for a quick lunch, we set off in twos and threes to meet our representatives. Since many of our representatives were busy at the moment, most of us met with their aids instead. These aids were, Maureen had told us, the people who really get the work done around the state house—although their jobs are far from glamorous, without them nothing would ever happen. We talked with the representatives and their aids about two bills that are passing through the house; both involving Food Policy Councils. A Food Policy Council (FPC) is a forum in which people from all across the food system can come together to discuss how to make improvements to the food system. One of these bills hopes to create statewide FPC, which would promote local and organic produce, farmer’s markets, and healthy eating for everyone. This is similar to a bill the Connecticut state legislature passed 10 years ago. The second bill that we were advocating for hopes to create a similar FPC, but focused specifically upon food in the public schools. We pointed to several statistics about rising obesity and diabetes in Massachusetts’s (and America’s) youth as a clear sign for a change in school food.

Some facts we used include:
* Nearly 1/3 of children in MA are obese.
* Heart disease is the underlying cause of death in about 1/3 of Americans.
* 55% of adults from MA are overweight.

These facts created a strong statistical argument, and coupled with the principles guiding The Food Project I think that we left a powerful impression on the representatives. Most of them were very enthusiastic about the bill, and even more interested in The Food Project.