This Week in Farm to School 

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

April Harvest of the Month

This April, we are celebrating Kale! Raw or cooked, Kale is considered a superfood and is a great source of Vitamins A, C, and K!

Let us know how you highlight kale in your classroom, cafeteria, and community on social media (@F2SCoalitionNC on Facebook and Instagram).

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Happy Roots Earth Day Jam

April 21, 2024 // 11 am to 10 pm // Salisbury, NC

Happy Roots announced the return of “Earth Day Jam,” a unique farm-to-festival benefit concert dedicated to supporting local nonprofit Happy Roots in its mission to fund school and community garden projects. Earth Day Jam features two stages that will deliver a diverse lineup of local, regional and nationally touring artists and more than 70 vendors and educators showcasing unique artisans, eco-friendly products, health and wellness, environmental education, services and resources.

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Fundraising Unpacked: Training Series

April 23 - October 8, 2024

Are you ready to take your fundraising efforts to the next level? Join Co.act Detroit for the 2024 Fundraising Unpacked Co.act & Candid Training Series, designed to empower nonprofit organizations with essential skills and knowledge. The next upcoming training session is on April 23: "Introduction to Finding Grants." Discover what funders are looking for in grant-seeking nonprofits. This class highlights the 10 most important things participants need to know about finding grants, including: who funds nonprofits and their motivations, what funders really want to know about the organizations they're interested in funding, and how to identify potential funders and make the first approach.

Learn more and register.

Self-Guided Climate Boot Camp for Extension Professionals

April 24, 2024 // 3 pm ET

The National Extension Climate Initiative (NECI) serves as an anchor for Extension professionals, researchers, and partners to collaborate on climate-related issues, share resources, discuss barriers and opportunities for advancing climate change programming in Extension, and engage in professional development opportunities. This hour-long boot camp, hosted by NECI, is tailored for Extension! Learn how to use a suite of climate resources designed for DIY-learners. 

Learn more and register.

Project Learning Tree K-12 Workshop

May 4, 2024 // 9 am to 4 pm // Asheville, NC

Join classroom and nonformal educators as you explore climate-related activities in Project Learning Tree’s Explore Your Environment K-8 Activity Guide and the secondary module Southeastern Forests and Climate Change. This workshop, hosted by Project Learning Tree, is geared towards educators working with middle and high school students but is open to anyone interested in the subject and materials. 

Learn more and register.

From Mardi Gras to Spring: Nurturing Growth in New Orleans Gardens and Classrooms

This new article from the National Farm to School Network explores how advocates across the nation have visually illustrated how farm to school and School Meals for All policies can work together to transform school food.

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Colorado Local Food Program Guidebook

The Colorado Local Food Program Guidebook, provided by Nourish Colorado, is an online resource for school meal operators, agricultural producers, and school and community members. The Guidebook provides insights and tools for launching, implementing, and sustaining farm to school programs. It is full of custom-designed resources based on a decade-plus of working side-by-side with School Meal Operators, listening to their needs, leading trainings to support their efforts, and now, turning that training content into tangible and digestible resources. While the website is designed for Colorado, many of the resources are applicable to other states as well!

Learn more.

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) new data tool: Child Nutrition Dashboard

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service recently launched the Child Nutrition Dashboard, a data tool that provides information on participation, meals served, and cash payments in federal Child Nutrition programs by fiscal year from 2018 through 2023.

Learn more.

Why School Food is a Justice Issue.

FoodCorps unpacks the role of school food in supporting every kid’s power. School food is a matter of justice. Food justice is key in creating a world free from oppression, where all people have the freedom, agency, and power to live their lives as they choose. And schools—among the earliest places where kids learn about food, practice building community, and often get most of their daily nutrition—are critical in shaping this world for our kids.

Learn more.

EmbraceRace Podcast Season Finale

In this last episode, hosts Melissa Giraud and Andrew Grant-Thomas go back to where it all began, in community with other parents and educators. They speak with a few of their good friends and neighbors - Farah Ameen, Khama Ennis, and Dana Kadish - all parents, one an educator. They reflect on their journeys as caregivers guiding children around race.

Learn more.

Supporting the Use of Traditional Indigenous Foods in Child Nutrition Programs

Deadline: April 8, 2024

USDA has extended the deadline to apply for the Supporting the Use of Traditional Indigenous Foods in the Child Nutrition Programs Cooperative Agreement until April 8. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will award $2 million in total grant funding to up to four (4) organizations to provide regionally focused training and technical assistance (TA) to School Nutrition professionals on procurement, preparation, and crediting of traditional Indigenous foods, including the use of cooperator and FNS-developed resources and tools. The cooperators, with FNS guidance and approval, will also develop culturally relevant nutrition education materials for students to accompany the traditional Indigenous foods that are served, and the cooperators will train School Nutrition professionals and other school staff on providing nutrition education to students.

Learn more and apply.

Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG)

Deadline: April 11, 2024 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is currently accepting applications for grants under the Value-Added Producer Grants program. The grants help farmers and ranchers generate new products, create marketing opportunities, and increase their incomes through value-added activities. Eligible applicants include independent producers, agricultural producer groups, farmer or rancher cooperatives, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures. The deadline for electronic applications is April 11 and April 16 for paper applications.

Learn more and apply. 

Braiding Seeds Fellowship

Deadline: May 1, 2024

Applications for the 2024 Braiding Seeds Fellowship are now open! This is an 18-month fellowship for BIPOC-beginning farmers and land stewards across the Northeast and Southeast United States. Each of the 10 selected fellows will receive a $50,000 stipend, mentorship, professional development workshops, in-person and virtual cohort gatherings, finance and business plan support, and one one-on-one coaching. They will also be awarding 12 mini-grants of $2,500 each to runners-up. 

Learn more and apply.

USDA's Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) Announces Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP)

Deadline: May 14, 2024

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) announced the availability of approximately $26 million for the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) to help local and regional food entities develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises. Additionally, AMS has added to the suite of resources available to support communities and practitioners in local and regional food systems development.

Learn more and apply. 

Ben & Jerry's Foundation Grassroots Organization National Grants

Deadline: Grants are accepted on a rolling basis.

The Ben & Jerry's Foundation National Grassroots Organizing Program is dedicated to advancing racial equity, social justice, and environmental justice by providing grants of up to $30,000 per year to small grassroots organizations with budgets under $350,000. These grants support community-level efforts to dismantle discriminatory systems and promote inclusivity. Applications for 2024 are now open, offering a rolling process for submission throughout the grant year. To see examples from 2022 grantees, click here.

Learn more and apply.

Everything You Need to Know About FY2024 Agriculture Appropriations

On March 8, 2024, Congress finally approved a final FY2024 Agriculture Appropriations bill. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 (CAA, P.L.118-42) funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – alongside numerous other departments and agencies – through September 30, 2024. This blog post, by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, looks at the food and agriculture components of the CAA and examines its significance amidst Congress's delayed appropriations process.

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Partners and Funding for Local Food

Local food systems can help build and sustain a community, spur economic development, improve community health, and support the environment. These partners make a difference by giving to the farmers, fishermen, and local food sources that drive North Carolina. The North Carolina Local Food Council created this list. 

Learn more.