This Week in Farm to School | |
Farm to school connects local agriculture, schools, and partners to benefit students, educators, farmers, families, and communities. | |
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Celebrate NC Farm to Summer!
North Carolina Farm to Summer is an extension of the Farm to School initiative encouraging NC Summer Nutrition Programs to incorporate local foods in their summer meals and offer engaging activities around agriculture and nutrition education. Participating in NC Farm to Summer is a great way to support local North Carolina farmers and increase NC Summer Nutrition Program participation by improving the quality of meals with these tasty, fresh foods!
Celebrate NC Farm to Summer Week July 17-23 and keep incorporating local foods and activities in your Summer Nutrition Programs all summer long. Take the NC Farm to Summer Challenge, by serving locally grown food in meals and/or snacks, teaching or learning about agriculture, nutrition, and local food, sharing or posting about #NCFarmtoSummer activities, and signing up for the NC Crunch!
Learn more and sign up to take the NC Farm to Summer Challenge.
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Farm to School: The Common Thread in Successful Universal Meals Campaigns
Today! July 20, 2023 // 3 pm ET
Join the National Farm to School Network to stay updated on universal school meals policies in the U.S. and gain insights from advocates in California, Colorado, Maine, and Vermont. After a brief presentation, a panel of members who contributed to NFSN’s universal meals case studies will share their own advocacy experiences, valuable lessons learned, and potential for replication.
Learn more.
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Orienting Instruction to Support Social-Emotional Learning
Today! July 20, 2023 // 6 pm ET
Edible Schoolyard welcomes Edible Schoolyard NYC for a workshop on how to support students’ social-emotional learning through cooking and gardening classes. They’ll share lessons, activities, and strategies that highlight social-emotional learning and talk about how they used classroom observation data to recognize and deepen their work in this area.
Learn more.
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Encouraging Curious Learners in the Kitchen and Garden
Tomorrow! July 21, 2023 // 6 pm ET
The Edible Schoolyard Project’s Virtual Summer Training features interactive workshops with a focus on boosting student engagement in gardening and cooking classes. For this session, participants will explore ways educators can cultivate students’ curiosity. From connecting content to students’ backgrounds to putting in the time to make the material feel exciting, participants will leave with new tools and understandings for increasing their students’ curiosity and engagement.
Learn more.
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Local Budget Advocacy Basics
August 16, 2023 // 12 pm to 1:30 pm ET
Join Community Food Strategies and the NC Farm to Senior Services Initiative for a Local Budget Advocacy Basics training. Whether you are a seasoned pro or a budding advocate, they will help you understand the roles of key players in local government, interpret budget documents, and identify how to align advocacy priorities.
Learn more and register.
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Summer Food, Summer Moves Resource Kit
Summer Food, Summer Moves is a fun, hands-on resource kit designed to get kids and families excited about healthy eating and physical activity during the summer months. The kit is designed for use by summer meal site operators and focuses on using music, games, art, and movement to motivate kids and families to choose more fruits and vegetables, choose water instead of sugary drinks, get enough physical activity every day, and limit screen time. This kit was created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.
Learn more.
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Selling Into Farm to School
The Community Alliance with Family Farmers has created a resource sharing how to sell to schools. Farm to School programs are popping up across the nation! Communities see the educational and nutritional values of providing fresh and local food for students and the economic benefit of supporting local farms. Whether selling directly to schools or selling via a food hub, farmers will find that schools provide a unique market that can not only benefits farmers but also benefit students and the local community.
Learn more.
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Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC) Resources
EENC has gathered many of their favorite resources pertaining to environmental education. Environmental education is critical for a sustainable future. It provides time in, and a connection to, the outdoors which research has shown to improve academic performance and physical, mental, and emotional health – making it just as important for our participants as it is for the planet.
Learn more.
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Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resource Library
Improving the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) of environmental education programs across North Carolina is important. EENC has developed a library of resources that can help environmental educators everywhere improve their program DEI and make them as accessible to all as possible.
Learn more.
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When Should You Talk to Your Children About Race?
Anti-Racism Daily’s article explores the importance of discussing race and identity with children. Children become aware of race and skin color as young as three years old, around the time that they begin to form their identity. It is important to not only talk about race and identity but also have conversations with children about racism. Talking to children about social justice and inequity at an early age helps them grow up with empathy, compassion, and a sense of social justice.
Learn more.
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Green Our Planet Grant Programs
Tomorrow! Deadline: July 21, 2023
School gardens are some of the best tools for hands-on learning and engagement, and Green Our Planet is here to help by offering two programs, GardenConnect and HydroConnect, to provide schools and students more access to gardens and garden-based learning. The GardenConnect program is valued at $3,500 and Green Our Planet will cover the full cost of the program for up to 100 schools. The HydroConnect program is valued at $10,000 and Green Our Planet will cover 80% of the costs of the program for up to 300 schools. Schools are responsible for $2,000 in total.
Learn more.
Organic Market Development Grants
Deadline: August 8, 2023
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service has approximately $75 million available for FY 2023 for the Organic Market Development Grants program. This grant aims to boost the consumption of domestic organic agricultural commodities by developing new and expanded organic markets. Eligible applicants, including business entities, non-profit organizations, and government entities, can receive funding running from $10,000 to $3 million for projects focused on production, processing, distribution, and consumer market development.
Learn more and apply.
NC Farm Bureau Going Local Grants
Deadline: November 15, 2023
North Carolina Farm Bureau is happy to provide agricultural outreach grants to NC teachers through their Ag in the Classroom Going Local program. These grants value up to $500. Going Local Grants help educators provide Pre-K through collegiate-level students with valuable, real-world education and experiences directly related to the agricultural industry and the NC Standard Course of Study. Teachers practicing in private and public North Carolina schools, colleges, and universities are encouraged to apply.
Learn more.
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USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance Program - Impact Report
This report from the Wallace Center offers a comprehensive analysis of the USDA's Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) programs and highlights the valuable insights provided by LFPA implementers such as farmers, food hubs, food banks, and other food distribution organizations. It offers a unique opportunity to explore the different models and approaches by other LFPA initiatives across the country. Informed through a national survey, in-depth interviews, and an active community of practice, the report highlights the measurable benefits and long-term value that LFPA can bring to creating reliable markets, access to fresh and healthy foods, and strengthening equitable local and regional food systems.
Learn more.
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