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Congresswoman Robin Kelly Joins Glenwood Academy to Celebrate Local Food Day
October is National Farm to School Month, and The Common Market Great Lakes (CMGL) partnered with Congresswoman Robin Kelly and Glenwood Academy to celebrate with a Local Food Day at the private residential school in Glenwood, IL. The event brought together students, school leaders, and local farmers to shine a light on the power of using locally grown foods in school meals.
The morning highlighted how programs like the USDA’s Local Food for Schools (LFS) Cooperative Agreement strengthen connections between schools and regional farmers. Through LFS, Glenwood Academy has been able to serve fresh, local produce to its first through eighth-grade students, with CMGL facilitating partnerships with farmers across the region.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-2), CMGL Executive Director LaToyia Huggins, Harold Wilken of Janie’s Farm and Mill, and Glenwood Academy leadership, spoke passionately about what investing in local food systems means for children, farmers, and communities alike.
Congresswoman Kelly praised the initiative for its dual impact—supporting student wellness while fueling the regional economy.
“Programs like Local Food for Schools show what’s possible when we invest in our communities,” she said. “Every meal can be an opportunity to nourish both our children and our local farmers.”
While the Local Food for Schools program is set to sunset in early 2026, The Common Market Great Lakes and its partners emphasized that this moment is not an end, but a foundation for continued advocacy. The event underscored the importance of sustained funding and technical assistance to ensure schools can keep purchasing healthy, local food long after current programs conclude.
As LaToyia Huggins shared, “This work is about more than distribution—it’s about building a food system that values people, health, and place. Days like this remind us why local food matters.”
Through partnerships like this one, The Common Market Great Lakes continues its mission to connect communities to good food grown by sustainable family farmers throughout Chicagoland and the Great Lakes region. To learn more about how your school can serve local with the help of The Common Market, visit here.
