Welcome to The Farmer's Daughter, a specialty whole foods lunch company that is eco-friendly and socially responsible. We are the answer for real people leading busy lives when it comes to delivering fresh, natural and organic lunches to your child's school. As parents, we want to feel good about ourselves and show our children how to make good choices, including what they eat now and in their adult lives. The Farmer's Daughter was inspired by parents just like you, facing the same day-to-day challenges. We all want our kids to eat healthier, and we all want to do what's right for the planet. The Farmer's Daughter just made it easier for you and your child to reclaim a healthy mind, body and planet, be responsible in our choices, and create an opportunity for renewal that is sustainable for the future.

What is The Farmer's Daughter lunch? The Farmer's Daughter lunch consists of a tasty main course, two wholesome sides filled with energy-packed complex carbohydrates, fresh produce, no artificial hormone/antibiotic free dairy and lean proteins, plus, a low-sugar high-impact delicious goodie. When in season, we use natural, organic, slow foods locally grown, meats, dairy and produce from the "farm to table." The Farmer's Daughter lunches are made fresh from scratch every day.

Our calendar menu rotates weekly and monthly with daily selections based in omnivore and vegetarian meals. Please review our "sample menu and pricing" located on our Parents page for further information.

For a little more, you may add an extra entrée (for big eaters) and/or beverage of your choice: organic Horizon reduced fat milk, a low-sugar organic beverage in three flavors, or bottled water. Our hot and cold menu has been kid tested, parent approved, and backed by our nutritionist.

Call us crazy, but we believe that every person should eat 100% real food. The Farmer's Daughter's lunch contains no trans-fats, no hydrogenated oil, no artificial coloring, no artificial preservatives, no artificial flavors, no artificial sweeteners, no genetically modified or engineered ingredients, no corn syrup, no excessive sodium. Solid science has shown that food affects kids' memory, attention, and cognitive skills. What they eat, how their food is grown and processed, can help their whole body to operate at their very best.

More than 2.5 million children have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), childhood obesity and diabetes. An additional 15 percent of children have borderline hyperactivity or behavioral issues. Research of nearly 100 studies validated the hypothesis that food dyes and additives are a factor in attention and behavior disorders and can increase the incidence of ADHD. In one of those studies 73 percent of children placed on a diet free from chemical additives, dyes and artificial sweeteners showed a reduction in hyperactivity and an increase in attention.

How can I contact The Farmer's Daughter? Visit our web site at: www.organiclunchkids.com. For further information about The Farmer's Daughter, please call Kim Coffey (Founder) at 336.591.9176 or 336.782.8471 or email: waldorf1988@yahoo.com. For lunch orders and deliveries, please contact, Cher Corrigan at chercorrigan@yahoo.com

The Farmer's Daughter lunch can only be delivered to schools, camps and other organizations that have agreed to use our delivery service. If you and your child are not currently affiliated with a participating school or camp, you can still help bring The Farmer's Daughter to your location. Please let your administrators know that you would like to have us available to your school, and we will be happy to contact them.

How do I order from The Farmer's Daughter? Packing lunch couldn't be any easier. You create an account and order online using our web site: www.organiclunchkids.com. You order lunch for the days you want, at least 10 days ahead of time. Please check with your school administration for days of service. We deliver lunch on those days. It's as easy as ABC!

How long do I need to commit to using The Farmer's Daughter? How long you choose to use the service is entirely up to you. There is no commitment required.

Why $5 for a kid's lunch? The truest culinary axiom is that the finished dish will only be as good as the ingredients. Our ingredients are organic, fresh, locally grown and minimally processed. Consequently, your child's lunch is delicious and healthy. Other lunches are prepared with over-processed, nutritionally barren foods that are manufactured, packaged and labeled, "organic" from far off locations. We have developed and foster a relationship with America's premier certified purveyor of organic and natural products, along with local farms. The Farmer's Daughter deliberately selects only the premium, whole and seasonal foods available, stemming from the simple belief that every person has the right to reclaim what is natural -- a healthy body and a healthy planet. We care right down to the purity of mineral salt from ancient sea beds. If you packed this yourself, you'd probably spend $4. For $1 more, we do it for you and clean up responsibly afterwards. The Farmer's Daughter is the natural choice for providing a variety of conscious-living, whole foods to reallocate your child's lunch money. Save money, valuable time, endless trips to the grocery store, and avoid foods that are processed with preservatives that your grandmother would not recognize. The Farmer's Daughter whole food lunches are a simple alternative for changing lunch money into a waste-free, healthy choice.

What happens if my child doesn't get his/her lunch? Our system ensures the right order gets to the right kid on the right days. We typically pack a couple of extras, just in case of a mix-up.

Can teachers and staff order lunch? Absolutely; anyone at a participating location can enjoy The Farmer's Daughter lunch. It's convenient, healthy and a great example for your students.

What time will lunch be delivered? Each school is unique in how lunch is served to their students. In accordance with your respective school's lunch program, The Farmer's Daughter ensures delivery before lunch so that your child can enjoy a fresh meal, while visiting with friends over great food and good conversation.

How will lunch be delivered? The Farmer's Daughter uses reusable earth-friendly Laptop Lunch Boxes for your use, delivery and service with a one time per school year container fee of $25.00 per child. The Laptop Lunch Box consists of non-toxic, sensibly portioned containers and stainless steel flatware that are free of wasteful, single-serving disposable plastic bags. The lunch boxes are delivered in temperature-controlled containers to ensure freshness. Each lunch is labeled with your child's name, class, teacher, school, entree and beverage so that it's easy to receive. After lunch, kids place everything back into The Farmer's Daughter container. We pick it up and process the waste responsibly.

How do you handle waste? Did you know that an average American child produces 67 lbs of trash just from school lunch each year? That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school. The Farmer's Daughter is waste-free. We donate food residuals to local pig farmers. Or, alternatively, your school has the option to collect food residuals for composting. We use recyclable, reusable and biodegradable packaging so your school and our planet live "green-clean."

So what exactly are the ingredients? The Farmer's Daughter menu features an icon for user-friendly access to menu item ingredients. While placing your order, be sure to click on the cookbook icon in certainty of healthy food for your child to enjoy.

What if my child has allergies? We do not offer any menu item that contains peanuts. We use alternative butters, such as cashew or sunflower. If your child has allergies, please be aware that our meals are prepared in a commercial kitchen that uses soy, dairy, eggs & gluten. Please be aware that our ingredients may contain trace nuts.

What if I want to add an afternoon snack? Eat to compete on and off the field with The Farmer's Daughter snack-sacks. Order online and your child will enjoy an essential complex-carbohydrate snack and a beverage for sustainable energy during after-school activities.

What happens if my child is absent one day or I want to change an order? With notice of 5 days or more, we are happy to change or cancel an order. Unfortunately, orders cannot be canceled the same day that they are being delivered. We will be happy to credit your account any cancellation. The Farmer's Daughter lunch is based in a strong belief and purpose of creating healthy meals from seasonal, organic, and naturally fresh slow foods, with very little frozen items. We order from our organic, natural and local purveyors in advance to serve your child with the fresh and minimally processed foods.

How do I change or cancel my order once it's placed? We can accommodate changes to an order 5 days before the date of the scheduled lunch delivery. If you need to change or cancel, simply send an email to Cher Corrigan at: chercorrigan@yahoo.com with the date you want to change or cancel your lunch order.

What if we have a snow day? Should inclement weather arise, please know that your lunch will go to either The Samaritan Kitchen located in Winston-Salem, or Urban Ministries located in Greensboro. This is a great way to express your concern about our community.

What if my child is extremely picky? We designed this menu with picky eaters in mind. That means kid-friendly shapes, and no strange textures. Not a lot of mixing of foods, either. The Farmer's Daughter's lunch is requested and preferred much greater than chain foods. Parents also recognize that they cannot duplicate the variety of The Farmer's Daughter lunches, and thankful that we are present within their school.

What is The Farmer's Daughter web site about? We provide an interactive superhighway to order lunches at a the click of a button.  You and your child can learn more about local farms in our state. We will give updates on what produce is in season and where to go to spend a weekend to "pick your own" straight from the farm. We will feature our Community Newsletter, Plough Sharing that will focus on eco-awareness and more. The Farmer's Daughter Children's page features stories, poems and the like. We encourage your children to submit recipes so that The Farmer's Daughter can serve your child's favorite healthy meal to share with our community. Our web site will express future goals for our community based in the concept "Sow Seeds, Reap Change." We encourage unification of businesses, schools and organizations that share an alliance of eco-awareness and social responsibility. Our web site recognizes that organizations and ecology are inherently connected and together we can positively affect our planet.

How can I get involved and make a difference? Eating is something we all have in common. Learning to make the right choices about food is the single most important key to environmental awareness for us and especially our children. When we are not aware of where our food comes from, the environment will always be something outside of ourselves. It is our long term goal to give back a portion of proceeds to participating schools or camps in order to help fund eco-tourism at local farms. Here at The Farmer's Daughter, we believe that children understand their world and sustainable agriculture as a living education from the ground up.

Communities reap more economic benefits from the presence of small farms than they do from large ones. Studies have shown that small farms re-invest more money into local economies by purchasing feed, seed and other materials from local businesses, whereas large farms often order in bulk from distant companies. Large factory livestock farms also bring down local property value with the intense toxic gases, liquids and odors they place in the air, soil and water.

When you select The Farmer's Daughter for your son or daughter, you are demonstrating that your concern goes beyond the lunchroom and into our community.

How long have you been around? The Farmer's Daughter has been in the works since November 2007 and will begin service to your school in the new school year of 2008-09. Our whole foods lunch company is the first in North Carolina that specializes in an organic and locally grown food delivery service for your child's lunch. We are centrally located in our beautiful Triad, right here in Winston-Salem. We are members of The North Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and The Piedmont Chapter of Slow Foods, USA. We are very proud and inspired to be a part of such a venture with your school. Our commitment is for a lifetime of healthy eating habits that begin at home and school. We believe holistic and healthy habits will reflect in your child's life choices in the years to come. Thank you for being a part of the change you wish to see in the world and making a difference with one healthy lunch at a time.