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This Week in Farm to School
November 4, 2021
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Farm to school connects local agriculture, schools, and partners to benefit students, educators, farmers, families, and communities.
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Around The Table with Rowen White and Jocelyn Jackson
Today! November 4, 2021 // 3 -4 pm EST
Join Mohawk Seed Keeper, farmer & storyteller Rowen White and Black culinary artist & activist Jocelyn Jackson Around The Table for a conversation on food culture and the role it plays in shaping our lives, stories, and dreams for the future. This session will pose the question: how can we reclaim and decolonize our shared food culture to nourish a future rooted in care, healing, liberation, and joy? In an informal roundtable discussion, reach beyond a discussion of the “food system” to question what deep stories shape and have the possibility to transform our food culture from one of generational harm to one of abundance.
Getting Familiar with the FY 2022 Farm to School RFA
November 8, 2021 // 2:30 - 3:30 pm EST
Join United States Department of Agriculture's Office of Community Food Systems for a presentation on the new 2022 Farm to School Grant Request for Applications! Learn what's new in this year's RFA and how your program can be considered for this new round of Farm to School Grants.
Getting Your Farm to School Grant Package Together
November 9, 2021// 2:30 - 3:30 pm EST
In this webinar, the USDA's Office of Community Food Systems Farm to School team will explore the key characteristics of a competitive Farm to School Grant application. They will review the required components and provide technical assistance on how to submit a complete application. Attendees will learn tips and tricks for writing a succinct application that clearly outlines your farm to school project.
Non-Profit Boot Camp: Grant Writing for Federal Funding
November 9 - 11, 2021 // 2 - 3 pm EST
Join Margaret Krome of Michael Fields Agricultural Institute and Una Van Duvall for a 3-session, hour-long workshop to help you develop skills for designing and writing successful federal grant proposals. This workshop will strengthen your skills, ability, and confidence around applying for federal USDA funding for agricultural endeavors. The lessons will inform, direct, and coach attendees by utilizing real-life funding examples, peer-to-peer learning, and tips and suggestions on how to design sound projects, find funding and write successful grant proposals.
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Southeast Jr. Chef Competition |
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Congratulations to the “Waffle Warriors” at Clyde A. Erwin High School in Buncombe County Schools, as they cooked their way to second place in the first ever virtual Southeast Jr. Chef Competition. Team members Mishayla Edwards, Emma Gouge, Brayden Ledford, Holden White and alternate Madelinn Romsdahl created their culinary masterpiece, Holy Smoke Show Waffles, competing against other culinary teams from Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. As second place winners, each Waffle Warrior receives a full scholarship to Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky. |
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NC Superintendent Truitt Thanks School Nutrition Professionals
In recognition of National School Lunch Week and Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month, NC Superintendent of Public Instruction Truitt shares a message to thank all our phenomenal and exceptionally dedicated North Carolina School Nutrition and Farm to School heroes, “We are so fortunate to have you supporting, nurturing and serving our children.”
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USDA Youth in Agriculture
The USDA Youth in Agriculture website provides curated tools and resources aimed at empowering the next generation of agricultural leaders. They have several tools covering topics such as how to help teachers in the classrooms, scholarships, internships, and career opportunities.
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The USDA’s Team Nutrition Procurement and Supply Chain Issues Tip Sheets
The USDA’s Team Nutrition initiative has developed tip sheets to help School Food Authorities navigate meal service flexibilities and supply chain issues during this dynamic school year:
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Hardship Assistance Grants for Organic Producers
Tomorrow! Deadline: November 5, 2021
Do you know an organic farmer, rancher, or food processor who has experienced hardship over the past year? The CCOF Foundation Bricmont Hardship Assistance Fund provides direct financial assistance to organic producers who suffer financial losses due to extreme hardship, including COVID-19 pandemic related hardships. Applications are available in English and Spanish. Award amounts range from $1,000-$2,500.
Pandemic Response and Safety Grants
Deadline: November 8, 2021
The Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program provides grants to food processors, distributors, farmers markets, and producers to respond to coronavirus, including for measures to protect workers against COVID-19.
EJ4Climate: Environmental Justice and Climate Resilience
Deadline: November 14, 2021
The North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is launching a $2 million grant program, EJ4Climate, to support environmental justice and climate resilience for underserved, vulnerable communities, and Indigenous communities across North America. This program will provide funding directly to Indigenous communities and community-based organizations to prepare for climate-related impacts.
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The National Farm to School Network |
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The National Farm to School Network Call to Action
The National Farm to School Network has a vision of a racial just food system for all, and they will work to achieve that vision through farm to school - the ways kids eat, grow, and learn about food in schools and early care and education settings. They’re issuing a call to action for themselves and for our entire food system: By 2025, 100% of communities will hold power in a racially just food system.
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School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study II
Deadline: November 15
The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is seeking comments on its planned data collection on the cost, nutrition standards, and operations of school meals. The first study of this information (2014-2015) provided key insight into the implementation of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, and this new round of data will provide further info on the current successes and challenges of school meal programs. If you are involved with these activities, please note the opportunity to give "ground truth" feedback for USDA on who they will collect data from and how. Stakeholders have until November 15 to submit comments.
The USDA Invests $3.5 Million to Provide Food Purchasing Options to Tribal Communities
The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) awarded $3.5 million to eight tribal nations for a project that, for the first time, will offer them greater flexibility in their administration of the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). The FDPIR Self-Determination Demonstration Project empowers tribal nations by giving them more options in selecting foods for their FDPIR food packages, so that they better align with their dietary preferences. The project also allows tribal nations to purchase directly from commercial vendors instead of USDA.
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GATHER is on Netflix
GATHER is a full-length documentary and The New York Times Critics Pick. The film is the result of a three-year collaboration between First Nations Development Institute and award-winning director Sanjay Rawal. Hawaiian actor and activist Jason Momoa, production partner Brian Mendoza, and Sterlin Harjo are the executive producers.
GATHER builds international awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the Native American food movement, which will ultimately bolster support in improving policy and the regulatory environment for long-term sustainability.
Conservationists See Rare Nature Sanctuaries. Black Farmers See a Legacy Bought Out From Under Them.
In Pembroke, Illinois, the well-intended efforts of mostly white nature conservationists overlook one thing: The township’s Black farming community has never fully supported them. Now, a generations-old way of life is threatened by the push for conservation.
Additional Racial Equity Resources
The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), one of our Farm to School Coalition of NC partners, has created a document of current webinars as well as resources to facilitate engagement and learning around Racial Equity, both in general and especially as it relates to food systems and education.
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