For more than 30 years, the Idaho Wheat Commission (IWC) has brought wheat into the classroom through the Bread in a Bag program. The Bread in a Bag program was started in the 1980s and has been enjoyed by elementary school students throughout the state ever since. Designed for fourth graders but distributed to other grades as well, Bread in a Bag is a hands-on experience in which thousands of students have participated. In the past five years alone, nearly 40,000 students have learned the nutritional benefits of wheat in a fun, engaging way.
Partnering with the Superintendent’s Office of Public Instruction and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Program allows IWC to provide the Bread in a Bag program at no cost to Idaho elementary schools. “Part of the success of this program has been the low cost of participation to the teachers and/or schools,” Colleen Fillmore, Child Nutrition Programs Director in the Idaho Superintendent’s Office of Public Instruction said in a memorandum to school commodity lunch programs.
Wheat flour, vegetable oil, and other necessary ingredients are provided through the USDA Foods Program, ordered by the kitchen personnel of each school. IWC provides teacher and student guides and other materials necessary for program logistics. Each student guide has agricultural and nutritional facts about Idaho wheat, baking instructions, and several wheat food recipes from pretzels and pizza crust to loaf bread and baguettes.
Teachers choose the recipe(s) their class will learn to make and walk through the steps and instructions while the students combine and mix the ingredients in a large zip-top bag. The dough is then baked in the school kitchen facilities and the students can taste their handiwork. The goal is to create a fun, positive, hands-on experience for the kids, send them home with more recipes to make at home with their families, and teach them the nutritional value of wheat. If successful, the result is life-long consumers of wheat food products.
“One of the three pillars of the IWC mission is market development,” explained Casey Chumrau, IWC Executive Director. “Often, we think of overseas buyers or domestic flour mills, but it is as much a part of our mission to promote wheat foods to consumers in our own state and communities. When kids get excited about something they take that project and excitement home to talk about what they learned with their families. It’s a great way to share the health benefits of wheat with the moms and dads who decide what to feed their families.”
IWC has seen impressive growth in the Bread in a Bag program over the past several years. Approximately 10,000 students participated in the program in both 2018 and 2019. This year registrations were down to just over 7,000 new students, but several teachers also had materials from last year left over when pandemic restrictions and virtual and hybrid class structures prevented execution of the program. “Between the new registrants and the classes that rolled over from last year, we have between 9,000 and 10,000 students taking part in Bread in a Bag this year,” said Chumrau. “We are looking forward to seeing continued growth of the program in the future.”
If you have an elementary student or elementary teacher in your family, ask them if they have participated in the Bread in a Bag program or contact britany@idahowheat.org to find out how your local elementary school can be part of Bread in a Bag.
