Oh, the memories. OK. The nightmares.

I remember when my kids were growing up, the local schools required (yes, that is the operative verb to employ) my children learn mercantile skills. They had to sell chocolates or wrapping paper to raise money for school needs. To be honest, I didn’t mind the chocolate so much- but the wrapping paper was not my cup of tea.

Let us not mince words either. I liked the chocolate sales since the kids only had to sell $ 15 worth. (Maybe that’s why that choice never repeated.) But, wrapping paper? They had to sell $ 100 worth.

And, I guess if you celebrate Xmas (we don’t), then there may be some value in this for the families. The ONLY non-Xmas, non-birthday wrapping paper they offered was one blue and white Jewish star design.

Now, I’m not picking on the their lack of choice, but the fact that most of us don’t need a closet full of wrapping paper. (Now, my ex-wife would vituperatively disagree with that statement.)  Moreover, by my count, the taxes we pay should more than cover the needs of the school system.   (The Alexandria school system gets $ 17041 per student, only topped in the metropolitan area by the next county over that spends some $ 19K each.  The overall DC Metropolitan region spends some $ 5K per year less, on average.  New York spend $ 20K, LA $ 10.6, and Chicago drops almost $ 12K per pupil.)

Sure, if the kids were to go on a field trip, I might be required to ante up more money- and I had no qualms about that.

(Maybe now is the time to remind you that the local school also collected more than the actual costs. To ensure scholarships for those who lacked the funds could still partake in field trips, after school programs, and the like.)

So, I was thrilled to hear that some local schools are starting a new program. This new program links up school fundraisers with local farms and artisans. The goal is to support small business, local businesses, and school projects- all with healthy choices.

Mark Abbott is the founder and CEO of FarmRaiser.  The idea popped into his head when he was speaking with his son. Who was being required by his school to sell stuff that the family had no need- or desire- to own. And, since Mark was raised on an orchard and a farm, it wasn’t a big leap to come up with this new program.

He contacted some local farmers (in Michigan) to provide products for about 10 schools. And, since that start, he has expanded the program to some 25 states, offering a “farmers market” page on his site for each of the schools or groups using the program. Right now, the most popular offerings are fruit and seasonable vegetables in a basket, along with artisanal cheeses and honey.

The deal is pretty viable. The farmer(s) and the school or group get 85%, and Farmraiser gets 15% for putting the two together. Oh- and the ultimate purchaser gets some darned good stuff- stuff that s/he can use and enjoy.

About time! (It’s fundraising time at the schools now, too!)

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