This Week in Farm to School from NFSN and NC

October 8, 2020

This Week in Farm to School

Farm to school is a program that brings together local schools, state agencies and organizations together with local farmers to supply healthy nutritious food to our childrens’ schools.

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Upcoming Webinars

Food Systems Friday Webinar Series: Addressing Poverty and the Designed Systemic Neglect of Agricultural Workers

October 9 // 3pm ET

The marginalization of agricultural workers and its historical persistence has long been an elusive problem to ameliorate let alone to solve. Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) shares its vision why major efforts have failed and of how this marginalization is man-designed and driven by global supply-chains controlled by major manufacturers and retailers. Responding to major catastrophes, pandemics remain difficult unless workers have a semblance of self-determination and are able to address poverty and systemic neglect. FLOC takes a look what it might take to make this happen. Register here.

Latinx Leader Roundtable

October 14 // 12pm ET

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, America’s Promise Alliance and Communities In Schools are co-hosting this virtual roundtable with Latinx young professionals and adult leaders at different levels of the youth development field, from community-based organizations to national nonprofits. The discussion will explore the top-of-mind issues for Latinx youth and communities such as the disparate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on this population, injustice against immigrants, and efforts to combat racism in the U.S. This conversation is particularly timely in an election year, as voters of all backgrounds and ethnicities consider these issues and more. Register here.

Resources

2020 Special Issue - The Path Forward: Why Whole School Sustainability Matters in a COVID-19 World

Green Schools National Network has released a special issue of their quarterly newsletter. COVID-19 has changed many aspects of our lives. It also offers an unprecedented opportunity to rethink K- 12 education. In this special issue of the Green Schools Catalyst Quarterly, explore the vital role that green, healthy, and sustainable schools will play in a COVID-19 world and why education for sustainability is an investment in the future of education. Read more.

October is National Farm to School Month! It Takes a Community to Feed a Community

Nominate Community Food Champions from your community for a $500 honorarium, participate in a virtual community discussion on October 14 with Karen Washington about shifting power and building food justice, and take action for change.

Feeding our nation’s children through school meals has always been a community effort, from farmers and distributors to teachers and school nutritionists. During this pandemic, it’s been made clear that workers who keep our kids and families fed - many of whom are Black, Hispanic, Indigenous and other people of color - are often unseen, underpaid, and undervalued for the contributions they make in our communities. That’s why this October, the National Farm to School Network is focusing its annual National Farm to School Month campaign on expressing appreciation and amplifying underrepresented voices in order to shift power to essential workers and create a more just food system. Join us throughout October to celebrate those who feed us and our children. Learn more and get involved at farmtoschool.org/month.

Join the Farm to School Coalition of North Carolina in celebrating National Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month by crunching into a locally grown fruit or vegetable on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at noon. The N.C. Crunch is an opportunity to taste and learn about North Carolina grown produce. Participants of all ages are invited to crunch!

This event is about uniting together to acknowledge North Carolina agriculture, healthy eating, and our farm to school heroes that grow, deliver, prepare, serve and teach about local produce. Schools, early care and education centers, groups, organizations, agencies, businesses, individuals and families can all participate. If the designated day or time are not convenient, feel free to crunch any time during October. We would like for as many folks to have the opportunity to participate as possible.

A N.C. Crunch Guide has been created with information on sourcing local produce, curriculum connections, and social media and press release templates to help you share your Crunch with the local community, and more. We know that the N.C. Crunch will look different this year–that’s okay! This year’s N.C. Crunch Guide includes tips for crunching during COVID-19.

To learn more and register for the N.C. Crunch, go to https://growing-minds.org/north-carolina-crunch/. Share your N.C. Crunch activities and photos on social media using #NCCrunch2020 and @F2SCoalitionNC.

Grant Opportunities

Klorane Botanical Foundation - Budding Botanist Grant

Deadline: October 30, 2020

The Klorane Botanical Foundation is committed to supporting programs to teach respect for the environment and protect nature through the preservation of plant species and biodiversity. Designed to further their mission, the Budding Botanist Grant will help our youngest citizens learn about plants, explore their world and inspire them to take care of the life they discover in their local ecosystems.

In early 2021, fifteen grant packages valued at $1,200 will be awarded to high need schools across the United States. Learn more and apply here.

Additional Grant Opportunities

For more grants like this one, please visit our list of available grants for Farm to School Programs in North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic. This list will be updated with grants as we are notified of them.

Please send grant opportunities to Arneisha Smallwood, ansmallw@ncsu.edu, or Tessa Thraves, tes_thraves@ncsu.edu.

Racial Equity Resources

Indigenous Foodways Past & Present

October 12 // 1pm ET

In this virtual conversation moderated by the Newberry’s Rose Miron, chef Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota) and anthropologists Elizabeth Hoover (Mohawk/Mi’kmaq) and Eli Suzukovich III (Little Shell Band of Chippewa-Cree/Krajina Serb) discuss how Indigenous foodways have been represented, appropriated, and misunderstood throughout history. Emphasizing the contemporary revitalization of traditional Indigenous foodways led by Native people, the panel will highlight efforts to protect Indigenous food sovereignty, resist centuries of environmental exploitation, and remove colonial influences from diets. Register here.

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. View webinars/ resources here.

National Farm to School Network

National Farm to School Network - 2020 Back to School: Farm to School/ECE and COVID-19 Resource List

The National Farm to School Network is compiling back-to-school resources that will be relevant to farm to school and farm to ECE stakeholders during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. See the resource list. Have resources to suggest? Please email them to info@farmtoschool.org.

Submit an article or resource here

North Carolina Farm to School Storybooks and Activity Guides

ASAP Growing Minds Day by Day Resources

NCDPI Lighting Our Way Forward Guide

CDC Considerations for Learning Gardens

Color of Education Virtual Summit 2020