Mission

Healthy Food in Schools unites students, teachers, parents, administrators, policy makers, food service directors, community members, non-profits, farming, food purveyors, and grocers with the aim of greening school lunch programs across the Bay Area and serving as a model for school districts across the nation.

Vision

Healthy Food in Schools envisions a nation where no child will ever be the victim of poor nutrition, obesity, diabetes and neglect.

Message from the Founder

One of the greatest values I can offer our children who need us is my broadcast experience and gift to get the message of better health, out to millions, one at a time. I’ve been broadcasting since 1984, with a few years off the air after my departure from KISS FM San Francisco following the unforgettable morning of 9/11. You won’t, and I will never forget that morning as Clear Channel asked me to stay on the air for 10 hours, as the official authority voice for the Bay Area to calm millions of listeners who simply wanted to know if what they heard from all the networks in New York was true. Minute by minute, I remained calm. From the very first code red alert at 5:57 am and within 10 seconds I punched my microphone on, turned down the music quickly and was announcing Tower 1 had been hit by a plane or a bomb had exploded. The entire day was a blur, except for a few moments that are imprinted in my mind and soul.

I called my Mother during a bathroom run while my producer was manning master control and she didn’t hesitate when she answered and said, “You’ve been preparing for this moment you’re entire career and you are doing an incredible job, Jer.” I felt confident I was calming thousands of people while watching my team around me, unable to speak and in complete emotional breakdown. I give a ton of credit to the late ABC News Peter Jennings, who I was gleaning from to keep me calm, as he was noticeably in distress, yet anchored with that calm of a great broadcaster at the helm of discipline madness, relaying what was happening outside his window near ground zero.

The other moment was during another rushed trip to the restroom and I was irritated by so many other radio personalities at Clear Channel, acting like nothing had happened. I was so stunned by laughter and surface conversation; I stopped at one office door and could say nothing. I was slack jawed by the light hearted chit chatting and unconsciousness. I wanted my life to change drastically after the morning of 9/11 and departed soon after for a break to find myself, away from the persona of Jerry Hart on the air for two previous decades.

You would think a day that changed our country forever would enable me to make personal changes radically. Sure, I became an entrepreneur and started a marketing agency that became a major player of world class social media and e-marketing services, and yet, it wasn’t enough to be happy. I needed more stuff and to achieve something to feel connected to me, my purpose, my sense of belonging on this planet.

Fast forward to October 2008, and a near death experience provided another opportunity to own that life is very short and a stark reminder that the reason I was unhappy deep within, was an unwillingness to be honest with myself. I discovered three components of my mind were not my friends, including my ego, victim and addict. Even now, two years after that near death experience from a tumor, and many feet of intestines removed from my belly, I still remind myself numerous times throughout the day, to not monitor my thoughts, rather, monitor how I feel.

After recovering from an intestinal tumor and bowel reconnect surgery, I followed through with the message the universe sent to me the night before I was to find out if I was going to die from colon cancer. The message was ‘seek your truth relentlessly’. On my 42nd birthday, I launched Hart of Green.com on a mission to be in my gift and honor my commitment to life.

Hart of Green was a safe place for me and I knew I was on the right path when I would lose track of time and become very present. The connection between many years of advising clients to be radically transparent online, get into the conversation, and bare the soul of their company on their blog is what I was being on Hart of Green. This was my so called GPS compass and solid indicator that I was on a clear track of self love and authenticity.

Similar to my pinching myself because I was paid to talk on the radio for two decades before 9/11, that same sensation washes over me every day working amongst genuine thought leaders and stewards of the Green movement. These people, while interested in getting things done, are much more interested in creating an experience.

Now, at 44, I’m much more humble and deliberate with every minute that passes. I truly believe life is short, both figuratively and literally. My late famous father, manager of the Grateful Dead, passed of colon cancer at 54. My brother, Mickey Hart, drummer of the Dead currently is alive and well and yes, I’m very proud of all he’s given back to the planet and his contribution through his Planet Drums.

Healthy Food in Schools was started in October 2010, with an “impossible” idea – that people, working together, could advocate for the health benefits good nutrition brings, as well as the improved school attendance and academic gains. YOU know you can inspire your family by eating healthier food at home, and to that end, we plan to inspire healthier lunch programs throughout the nation.

I am so grateful for the Food Directors across America who face many challenges in providing appealing, nutritious meals to a large number of children, with such extremely limited resources. Special thanks to the Champion Food Directors here in the Bay Area who have opened their hearts and minds, with a genuine willingness to help Healthy Food in Schools gain a better understanding of the requirements and limitations you all face. They have dealt with great adversity paving a path of protecting children from processed foods that in great consumption ought to be considered poison. And I am proud of the ambitious challenges Healthy Food in Schools is tackling now to make school lunches more palatable and healthier for kids: stopping plans to continue with the status quos; preventing obesity and Type 2 Diabetes; and elevating standards of food, giving our kids the best opportunity for a healthy life and abundant future.

Our community of supporters is responsible for everything Healthy Food in Schools has accomplished, so I encourage you to get more involved and help us protect kids and restore lunch programs to their healthiest levels.

Our website is a great resource where you can learn about and explore, take action to help make the lunches healthier, volunteer your time and energy, and connect online with our passionate community.

I encourage you to learn more about us and stay informed by signing up to receive updates and action alerts. And join Healthy Food in Schools or make a donation to support our efforts.

Special thanks to the Tri-Valley Community Foundation for all their support.

With your help, we’ll make even more progress for the Kids across America for many generations to come.

Sincerely,
Jerry Hart

Founder