Harvest Fair crowd fills up Ford School

LYNN – “This is what a real community school looks like,” said Ford School Principal Claire Crane as well over 200 parents and children streamed around her during the school’s second annual Harvest Fair.Crane said Wednesday’s event was all about inviting families in for some healthy food, a little music and to meet with teachers.”People cooked and brought things to eat, there’s music, there’s information on all sorts of things, this is what community is,” she said, barely audible above the din.Fourteen-year-old Kyle Toxey spooned pasta into cups and ladled up a spicy green soup for hungry visitors while his mother Leticia Carrasco-Toxey sat nearby volunteering at the Highland Coalition table.”We’re talking to people about voting and lead paint abatement,” she said.Across the way Jerry Medorski got a little help from Christine Ellersick handing out free backpacks to any student who needed one.Ellersick is the Education Director for City Sprouts, which is in partnership with the Food Corp.”We bring kids into the garden for all their lessons, English, math, all of them” she said.The Ford School is home to a large community garden spearheaded by the Highland Coalition and the Food Project. Students volunteer to work in the garden and teachers use it with lessons as well.Next to City Sprouts, Joanna Gallagher talked to parents about “The Family Dinner Project.” Gallagher, a project coordinator with the program, said they encourage families to not only eat together but converse and have fun as well. She also runs a program at Ford that models the project. The Lunch Buddies program has Gordon College students spending one lunch period a week with a group of students who they engage in conversations.”Every six weeks we rotate with new kids,” she said.Susan Pascar manned a table giving information about diabetes and talking up the virtues of a planned community garden for Cook Street Park.”It’s a great way to unite the neighborhood,” she said praising the Highland Coalition for its work on the project.Just outside the auditorium Andy Hardy and Ashlyne Babb of the Food Project let kids literally crank out gallons of fresh apple cider. Hardy fed a steady stream of apples into an apple press while kids like 7-year-old Jacqueline Rivera and her 5-year-old brother Manuel turned a crank that triggered the press.Councilor at large Hong Net, who was on hand for the fair, called the turnout wonderful.”We had 500 parents come last year,” Crane said. “I’m sure we have at least that many again. It’s a good night.”Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].