My name is Megan, and my children attend Ruch Outdoor Community School. Like all families here, I want the best for our students—especially when it comes to what they eat and how they feel at school.

Our current lunch program leans heavily on processed options. While convenient, these meals don’t deliver the focus, energy, and overall health benefits associated with fresh, locally sourced foods. Research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and others links healthier school meals with better concentration and academic outcomes.

Ruch already has something special: a partnership with a local farm and hands-on garden and cooking classes. We’re not proposing to replace that great work—we’re proposing to connect the dots so what students learn in the garden can show up on their trays: more fresh, local, minimally processed food in regular school meals.

And we can do this here. The Applegate is rich with farms and producers. A farm-to-table approach would:

• Support student health and learning
• Strengthen our local economy
• Reflect what makes Ruch Outdoor Community School unique

This is not a demand for overnight change—it’s a practical next step:

1. Collect 100 parent and community member signatures to demonstrate support.
2. Ask the PTO and principal to formally bring the petition to the Medford School District Board.
3. Explore a pilot, even one day per week, using local vendors—with a clear plan for budget, food safety, and equitable access for all students.

If you believe our children deserve meals that match the values we teach in our classrooms and garden, please sign the petition today. Together, we can give students not just food, but the best of Ruch on their plates. 

*If you see a donation request after signing, just close it/ignore - your signature already counted. Thank you!