And the award goes to....
School lunch 🍓+ local art 🎨 + cupcakes 🧁+ more
A couple of years ago, my younger son started telling me how great school lunch was. I was somewhat suspicious. The school lunches of my childhood were not exactly something I wanted to run home and tell my mom about, but sure, whatever you say, kid.
But now, it’s all making sense!
I'm late to the ballgame on this one, but did you know that UCFSD Food & Nutrition Services received a Healthy Meals Incentive Award from the USDA for their innovation in preparing school meals?! 🎉 I did not, and now you do!
According to the USDA program site, "Unionville Chadds Ford School District worked with local chefs to develop new scratch-made recipes including Beef Pasta Bake with local ground beef, Local Herbed Baked Chicken Drumsticks, Baked Local Cinnamon Apples, and Local Mushroom Alfredo. The district promoted the new menu items and local ingredients through “know your farmer” posters and social media, and even brought in a local chef to engage with students." How cool, right?!
But wait, it gets even better!
Devon Sundberg, UCF Food Service Supervisor who leads the team that won the award, is a Chadds Ford resident and parent in the district! Is there a better way to support our local farmers, build community and school relationships, and teach our kids healthy eating habits? Thanks to Devon and her entire team at UCF working hard to bring our kids nutritious meals every day!
Time to step up your local art game
Join the Chadds Ford community for a time-honored tradition that benefits the students, school, and the vibrant Brandywine Valley art community! This year, over 60 artists will participate in the Chadds Ford Elementary Art Show and Sale. Patrons can purchase art pieces directly from each artist.
The show started over 75 years ago and was led by Betsy Wyeth (yes, that Wyeth family). Artists offer a variety of styles and formats at a wide range of prices. It’s worth a peek. Stop by the gymnasium-turned-art gallery at Chadds Ford Elementary on March 15 from 10 am - 5 pm. If you’re feeling ambitious, bring a friend or two (or three!)… and your wallets. Definitely, don’t forget your wallets. 😉
Guess who’s hiring!
Is your LinkedIn profile up to date? A few local organizations that support our community and our kids are looking to add to their teams. Check out these jobs for yourself or pass them along to a friend in the area who might be perfect for the position.
Kennett Library is looking for a Development Director. It’s a little outside our Chadds Ford area, but it’s a great organization and a good neighbor. 💛 Check their website for details.
Kennett Area Park Authority wants your bookkeeping skills. They hope to hire a part-time bookkeeper. Anson B. Nixon is such a fun park for all ages with a variety of activities. Find more information here if you or someone you know is interested in applying.
Our schools are only as good as the adults who guide and care for our children from pick up to drop off and everything in between. UCF is currently hiring for several positions including coaches, food service assistants, bus drivers, and more. Check out their full listing on their site!
Fun fact: My younger son participated in the most recent UCF bus driver recruiting video, so he rode around and got on and off the bus at various places throughout the district on a day off from school. 😜
Would you like cupcakes?
Yes. I want cupcakes. I bet many of you wouldn’t mind if they were paired with wine, am I right? Each weekend in March, Penns Woods Winery is hosting a Wine & Cupcake Pairing event that offers four wines paired with four gourmet cupcakes. Seems pretty fun and a great alternative to regular ol’ happy hour.
If they sell out or you prefer to indulge in cake and wine in cozy sweats (no judgment, leggings are my jam!), they have take-home wine and mini cupcake pairing packs. Find a friend who adores mini cupcakes and the cutest bottles of wine, and pick up a pack for your weekend chill session. Cheers! 🥂
Do you have a flag that’s ready to retire?
A local Eagle Scout recently established a flag retirement drop box at the Rachel Kohl Community Library to encourage properly disposing of old and tattered flags. The Chadds Ford Township Residents Association also maintains a flag drop box in the township building's vestibule. Use whichever is more manageable.
If you’re curious, the United States Department of Defense offers guidance on how to properly dispose of worn-out US flags. The page is live (for now 🙄). The slash-and-burn broligarch might decide it’s too expensive to maintain in order to fund tax cuts for billionaires. More likely, though, they’ll privatize the practice, make a pretty penny nickel by providing a service we used to freely share as a community, and sell our personal data in the process. NBD.
Speaking of the library…
A neat Seed Sowing program is coming up on March 9th at 3:30 pm. It’s in the library’s community room and hosted by their volunteer-driven Seed Club! You can find all the details here.
Also, the library recently received six new Kindles donated by Chadds Ford Complete Services, a local business. Kindles are among the most popular circulation items, so the director was thrilled to offer more to the community.
If you know of a small business that might like to sponsor a specific program or set of materials at the library, be sure to reach out and inquire! It never hurts to ask, and it’s a great way to get the company’s name passed around the community (literally). 🥳
Want more walking paths in Chadds Ford?
The township’s Open Space Committee is still working on opening Sunset Hill Preserve to the public. The township already owns the land. The committee hopes to use grant funds to clean up existing paths so residents can use them for low intensity recreation. Currently, the preserve is unavailable for public use because it is not maintained for that purpose.
I’d love another walking option in Chadds Ford! Wouldn’t it be great if the public could use the property already paid for by tax dollars? It seems like a no-brainer, right? I shared more about the preserve in this post.
The township needs to hear from you that you support the proposed clean-up of the property to allow for residential use. Send a quick email to Emily Pisano, Assistant Township Manager (EPisano@chaddsfordpa.gov), or Samantha Reiner, Supervisor Liaison to the Open Space Committee (sreiner@chaddsfordpa.gov), to let them know you hope the township invests in this lovely space to make it accessible to our community.🌳
Got anything else to share?
Let me know if you have a local story to celebrate building community in Chadds Ford or an organization that deserves a shout-out. You can reply via email or leave a comment on the Substack app. Thanks!
