November 17, 2022

This Week in Farm to School 

Farm to school connects local agriculture, schools, and partners to benefit students, educators, farmers, families, and communities.

Did you participate in #NCCrunch2022?

Please complete a quick survey by November 18th to share your final count of the number of sites and participants reached for #NCCrunch2022 and any stories you captured during your #NCCrunch activities to taste and learn about NC-grown produce and thank our #farmtoschoolheroes. Survey responses help us share out overall data, identify progress toward outreach goals, and lift up our heroes and stories. Thanks to everyone who helped make this a crunch heard across the state!

Complete the survey here.

FoodCorps’ Food Operators and Leaders of Color in Schools (FOLCS) Networking Event

November 17, 2022 // 12 pm ET

FoodCorps’ FOLCS program is hosting its first networking event. Join FOLCS to connect with diverse leaders of color in School Nutrition across the country. You’ll also hear about their mentorship program, meet potential mentors and mentees, and learn more about what they hope to accomplish in this network. 

Register here.

Recorded Webinar: Braiding Sweetgrass with Kids

EmbraceRace spoke with Monique Gray for their Talking Race and Kids conversation. Monique Gray recently adapted Robin Wall Kimmer's Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants for young adults (ages 10 to 99!).

Watch here.

Farm to School Coalition 2019 - 2021 Report

Check out the Farm to School Coalition of NC's new report! In this report, the Coalition highlights some amazing success stories across our state that have provided a beacon of hope.

Read here.

Craven County Students Test Locally Sourced, Healthy School Meals

October was Farm to School month across the country. Craven County district and school officials sourced local foods and helped students to develop and test recipes that are healthy and palatable for school meals.

Read more here.

Farm to School Planning Toolkit

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service’s Farm to School Planning Toolkit guides you through questions to consider and helpful resources to reference when starting or growing a farm to school program. It is designed for use by schools, school districts, and community partners. The toolkit is filled with tips and examples, insights from others, and lists of resources for further research. 

Learn more here.

Farm to Child Nutrition Planning Guide

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service’s Farm to Child Nutrition Planning Guide directs you through questions to consider when starting or growing a farm to school, farm to child care, or farm to summer program. This planning guide should be used as a supplemental tool to the Farm to School Planning Toolkit. 

Learn more here.

2023 Youth Garden Grant

Deadline: December 2, 2022

KidsGardening's Youth Garden Grant has supported school and youth educational garden projects since 1982. In early 2023, fifty organizations will be awarded $500 in funding and a collection of gardening supplies for their youth garden program. Ten programs will receive a specialty award package among the fifty winners.

Apply here.

From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals

Deadline: December 14, 2022

The primary goal of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals Program (NEXTGEN) is to enable 1890 institutions, 1994 institutions, Alaska Native-serving institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions (specifically, the certified Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities (HSACUs)), and insular area institutions of higher education located in the U.S. territories to build and sustain the next generation of the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) workforce primarily through student scholarship support, paid internships, fellowships, and job opportunity matching, and facilitating pathways to employment in the federal sector.

Learn more here.

USDA Farm to School Grant 

Deadline: January 6, 2023

The United States Department of Agriculture will award up to $12 million in competitive grants to eligible entities through the Farm to School Grant Program in FY 2023. Each grant helps implement farm to school programs that increase access to local food in eligible schools, connect children with agriculture for better health, and inspire youth to consider careers in agriculture. The RFA includes three tracks - Implementation, State Agency, and Turnkey - to support a variety of projects and implementation stages. 

Learn more here.

Development and Implementation of Healthy Meals Incentives School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants

Letter of Intent Deadline: January 9, 2023

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will award up to four cooperative agreements for the administration and management of the Healthy Meals Incentives School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants. FNS expects to award $50 million in total funding through a competitive award process for use over the grant period through up to four cooperative agreements. 

Learn more here.

2022 Census of Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is gearing up to send its survey for the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Filling out the survey is an important way for every farmer in America to influence the policies and programs that impact U.S. agriculture every day. USDA will mail out survey access codes to producers across the country in late November. These survey codes can be used to access the Census of Agriculture survey online. 

Learn more here.

School Meals for All Campaign

The North Carolina Alliance for Health, Carolina Hunger Initiative, Center for Black Health and Equity, A Better Chance A Better Community (ABC2), and other partners across North Carolina are launching a School Meals for All Campaign! This campaign will work to secure funding for school meals for all so that every child in every public school in North Carolina has access to breakfast and lunch at no cost to their families. Sign up to stay updated on the School Meals for All Campaign.

Learn more here.

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a list of resources for individuals and organizations to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. 

Learn more here.

Native Farm to School Guide: Connecting Traditional Foods, Stories, Language, and Community

First Nations recognizes that the deep roots of Native communities in tending and harvesting food have grown into contemporary farming, ranching and other forms of agriculture. The Native Farm to School Guide: Connecting Traditional Foods, Stories, Language, and Community focuses on what food sovereignty can look like inside community education and school systems.

Learn more here.

Environmental Justice and Indian Country

First Nations Development Institute teamed with Nonprofit Quarterly to present a series of articles on environmental justice in Indian Country and ways that philanthropy might more effectively support this work.

Learn more here.