Brain Tumor Claims Peggy Adams, National Farm-to-School Project Manager

By Ann Evans

Peggy Adams, the project manager for the National Farm-to-School Program based at the Center for Food and Justice succumbed to a brain tumor at her home in Los Angeles in September. The tumor was diagnosed in February and two subsequent operations were unsuccessful in fully removing the tumor.

As she became increasingly ill during the spring and summer, Peggy incredibly maintained her wit, her passion for her work, her love of gardening, her desire to continue to build a movement. “If only we could put me into a machine that could download what I know and what I’ve learned to pass it on to others,” she told me several times, wanting always to be able to make a difference.

Peggy was like a den mother to the national farm-to-school program who wanted to scold projects when they strayed from her vision about what this program could mean for farmers and for kids, watch and encourage each new opportunity as it emerged and help turn an idea into a movement. Her many years doing environmental and sustainable agriculture work in Idaho and Washing-ton made her especially sensitive to farmers and to rural folks.

Growing up in Los Angeles and returning home after all those years made her appreciate what it could mean to link urban schools and kids to farmers out-side the urban edge or in rural areas.

Peggy wasn’t the first to explore this idea of farm to school, but she became part of its transformation. And while she was just one of many community food advocates, she was able to witness and contribute to helping turn what was once a family of allies and colleagues into the bigger and growing movement that she so identified with.

Several weeks before she died, a number of us prepared a farmers’ market lunch for her and her family. She was in great form, enjoying stories, telling stories, showing us her garden.

She made her mom laugh and loved trying to get her sister interested in becoming involved in community food politics. We all knew she was close to death, but we all felt that we were getting together to celebrate all that had been accomplished and how much we appreciated working and being together.

Let us celebrate Peggy. And we’ll miss her.