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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There's Still Time to Crunch!
Make sure your #NCCrunch activities are counted in the statewide numbers. Currently, we have 65 counties plus the Qualla Boundary and 1,060 sites registered to reach 172,309 participants. Tag @F2SCoalitionNC and the @NCFarmtoPreschool Network on Instagram and Facebook.
Register for the NC Crunch!
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National Farm to School Network Movement Meeting
Today! October 26, 2023 // 3 pm - 5 pm ET
The National Farm to School Network is thrilled to extend an invitation to their vibrant farm to school community for the upcoming 2023 Movement Meeting. This annual event serves as a gathering point for dedicated advocates in the Farm to School and Farm to Early Care and Education realms, providing an invaluable opportunity to come together, rejoice in our shared achievements, foster meaningful connections, ignite inspiration, and collectively nurture our growth.
Learn more and register.
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Session I: Key Components of a Youth-Led Entrepreneurship Cooperative
Today! October 26, 2023 // 3:30 pm - 5 pm ET
City Blossoms, the Farm-Based Education Network, and the U.S. Botanic Gardens have teamed up to offer a four-part workshop series highlighting the ins and outs of farm and garden youth entrepreneurship programs. Join the series and a group of guest presenters to explore how to support young people as they start, manage, and grow their own youth-driven businesses. The first session in the series explores the components of a youth-led entrepreneurship cooperative.
Learn more and register.
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Building an Equity Container
November 1 & 8, 2023 // 1 pm to 3 pm ET
Equity In The Center is hosting a workshop for organizational leaders looking to build strong multiracial teams that excel at working through harm, tension, and conflict as they seek to dismantle white supremacy. If so, it may be worth looking at your team’s container – the conditions that allow teams to actually be together in the work of dismantling white supremacy. This workshop will support participants in building stronger equity containers, so that their teams can work through disagreement and conflict in ways that bring them closer together and closer to transformation. Equity In The Center® is now using a tiered pricing model to better align with best practices among equity-focused organizations.
Learn more.
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NC Department of Health and Human Services Leads Annual NC Crunch Event
Last week, NCDHHS leaders joined the annual NC Crunch event at A Safe Place Child Enrichment Center in Raleigh in celebration of NC Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month. NC Crunch recognizes the importance of healthy eating habits in supporting child and family well-being, while promoting North Carolina agriculture, by crunching into locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Learn more.
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Cook Up New School Meal Recipes with the NC Jr. Chef Competition
High school students can work with their teachers and local School Nutrition Programs to create school lunch recipes that adhere to National School Lunch Program standards, feature at least two North Carolina-grown ingredients and one USDA Foods item, and appeal to students. The first place N.C. Jr. Chef team advances to the Southeast Jr. Chef Competition. Student members of the top three teams at the state and regional level win scholarships. See below for the 2024 NC Jr. Chef Competition timeline. The guidelines and application materials are available on the NCDPI, Office of School Nutrition website.
2024 NC Jr. Chef Competition Timelines:
- January 5, 2024 - Teams submit the online Submission Form, Application, Recipe Photo, and a signed NCJCC Permission and Release Form for each student team member.
- January 22, 2024 - Based on a review of applications and recipes, up to eight finalist teams will be selected to compete in the NCJCC cook-off phase.
- February 19, 2024 - NCJCC finalist teams will submit their final application.
- March 11 or 12, 2024 - NCJCC teams participate in live virtual interviews with panel of evaluators.
- March 13, 2024 - NCJCC results announced via press release and social media. A virtual ceremony will be held to recognize all finalist teams and announce the results.
- April 25, 2024 - NCJCC first place team submits application for Southeast Jr. Chef Competition.
- May 9 - 10, 2024 - State teams compete at the Southeast Jr. Chef Competition.
Find the NC Jr. Chef Competition info and materials.
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Chatham County 4-H Youth Participate in Great Southeast Pollinator Census
This was the first year that North Carolina participated in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, a citizen science initiative that started in Georgia a few years ago and has since spread to South Carolina and North Carolina. Debbie Roos, Chatham County’s Agriculture Extension Agent, organized an event with their 4-H youth on the morning of August 23 at the Pollinator Paradise Garden.
Learn more.
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Supporting Cross-Racial Friendships Between Kids: The Lessons of “Prejudice Mindsets”
Young kids in racial diverse settings form cross-racial friendships easily. But when they get to be around 10 years old, a great many of them start to self-segregate by race. Whether in the classroom or lunchroom, they segregate into racial groups reflecting the social divisions of the larger society. This EmbraceRace webinar shares more about the research behind this and how parents and educators can support kids.
Learn more.
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Racial Equity Tools Evaluation Resources
The Racial Equity Tools website has provided some resources for evaluation. The evaluation section on their website is designed to help groups assess, learn from, and document their racial equity work, with special attention to issues of power privilege in the work, and in evaluation.
Learn more.
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Whole Kids Foundation Bee Grant: Traditional Bee Grant
Traditional Bee Grant
Deadline: October 31, 2023
The Traditional Bee Grant allows for K-12 schools or non-profit organizations that serve any grades K-12 to start a new or enhance an existing bee program hosting live bees on their campus.
Learn more and apply.
Kid Kindness Grants
Deadline: November 1, 2023
Kindness Grows Here believes every child is inherently kind and can make positive changes in their community. Kids and teens have amazing ideas for spreading kindness in their schools, neighborhoods, and larger communities. For this reason, Kindness Grows Here dedicates the largest portion of their budget to their "Kid Kindness Grants" program. Every year from September 1 to November 1 they accept applications directly from kids between the ages of 5-18 who have ideas for spreading kindness. To apply, kids need to complete a simple application that tells what they want to do, why, who their project will impact, how much money they need, and exactly how they will spend it.
Learn more and apply.
NC Farm Bureau Going Local Grants
Deadline: November 15, 2023
The 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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2023 Farm to School Census
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service released the fourth Farm to School Census on October 2nd, and your participation counts! The Census surveys all public, private, and charter school food authorities (SFAs) operating the National School Lunch Program about their farm to school relevant activities. The Census results are publicly available, and the information is vital to help schools, partners, advocates, and producers understand the role of farm to school in supporting resilient local food systems and contributing to student experiences at school.
Learn more.
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