This Week in Farm to School 

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

Farm to School Coalition of NC Listening Sessions

The final listening session is scheduled for February 29, 2024. Sign up today to have your voice heard!

Purpose: 

1. To learn about what is happening with Farm to School across the state

2. To understand what stakeholders would like to see happen with Farm to School in North Carolina

3. To learn about what resources are needed for partners around the state

Learn more and register!

A Call to Right Relations and Climate Resilience in Food Systems and Beyond

Tomorrow! February 23, 2024 // 9 am - 1 pm ET

Many reckon with the tragic history of what has been done to Indigenous peoples through the process of colonization and economic greed. During this session, Food Solutions New England is honored to welcome two Indigenous guests who have generously agreed to share how one might honor the spirit of longstanding treaties and respectfully engage with “all our kin.”

Learn more and register.

Virtual Farm Field Trips Webinar

February 28, 2024 // 2 pm ET

Whether students are stuck inside and can’t go out to learn in the garden or you simply want to expose them to a variety of agricultural practices and growing climates, virtual farm field trips are an excellent resource to utilize. They also can be an innovative way to showcase your school garden program with your community and stakeholders. Join the School Garden Support Organization Network to learn about options for guided farm field trips, as well as resources, tips, and considerations for school garden programs interested in hosting your own. 

Learn more and register.

Hydroponics for the Cafeteria

March 6, 2024 // 2 pm ET

Curious about growing and serving hydroponic produce in your school cafeteria? In this workshop, hosted by Massachusetts Farm to School, participants will understand how hydroponics can be used in the school cafeteria to grow food and engage students. You will learn the whole process from assembly to seed planting to cultivating your crop to the program maintenance involved with a Flex Farm. Discover how to raise harvest, and serve hydroponics all in the same space. 

Learn more and register.

2024 National Child Nutrition Conference 

April 22 -26, 2024 // Orlando, Florida 

The National Child Nutrition Conference is the premier annual event held by the National CACFP Sponsors Association, bringing together professionals from child care centers, home providers, sponsoring organizations, school districts, afterschool programs, Head Start programs, Food Banks, tribal nations and State Agencies. 

Learn more.

Register Today - New NC State Extension School Garden Course

Spring is approaching which means it’s time to dig back into the school garden! NC State Cooperative Extension’s online school garden course will help you learn more about starting or maintaining a school garden and its connections to Farm to School. Topics in the course include introduction to Farm to School, school garden design, accessibility in school gardens, and more!

Learn more and register.

Hungry Kids Can’t Learn 

Hungry kids can’t learn. Teachers and administrators across the state know this fact all too well. School Meals for All NC is working to ensure all students in every public school have access to school meals at no cost to families. The video campaign features prominent educators from across the state voicing their support for school meals for all public school children at no cost to their families.

Learn more.

Lead in Water Curricular Activities 

Educators and environmental scientists at RTI International have developed new curriculum resources to teach students about lead in water.  Why teach about lead in water in the classroom? Exposure to lead can have lifelong health impacts, and children are particularly susceptible to these harmful effects, and schools across the state are checking for lead hazards through the Clean Classrooms for Carolina Kids™ program. The new K-12 curriculum materials are aligned with NC state standards and are designed to engage students, teachers, parents, and the school community in lead exposure prevention work. You can sign up here to join the pilot and receive a $50 gift card if you also opt to participate in a follow-up focus group to provide feedback.

Learn more.

Food Solutions New England 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge

Food Solutions New England will host its 10th annual 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge from April 1st to April 21st. Each year, thousands of individuals and hundreds of officially participating organizations join in a shared journey of learning and charting a course of action to dismantle racism in our food system and our world.

Learn more and register. 

The EmbraceRace Podcast Episode #1: Do Young Kids (and Babies) Really See Race?

In this inaugural episode, EmbraceRace shares its backstory and then dives into a conversation with developmental psychologist Tara Mandalaywala about what we know about whether and how babies and young children perceive racial differences.

Learn more and listen.

Garden Grant Program

Deadline: March 1, 2024

Through the Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant program, schools and non-profit organizations turn outdoor spaces into powerful hands-on learning gardens that connect kids with food, spark their curiosity, and support classroom curriculum. Their grant program provides a $3,000 monetary grant to support a new or existing edible educational garden located at a K-12 school or non-profit organization. 

Learn more and apply.

Better Food Policy Fund Unrestricted Grant

Deadline: March 5, 2024

The Better Food Policy Fund's debut grantmaking program will award $600,000 in unrestricted funding to 10 US-based food policy councils over two years to support their work to effect better food policy through civic collaboration. Through this pilot program, they seek to celebrate and uplift the work of food policy councils and believe every food policy council is worthy of funding. They hope to grow and expand the field of food policy councils through funding and fostering shared learning.

Learn more and apply.

Request for Applications: Supporting the Use of Traditional Indigenous Foods in the Child Nutrition Programs

Deadline: March 18, 2024 

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service 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.

Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (USDA NIFA) 

Deadline: April 4, 2024

The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) supports projects that provide education, outreach, and technical assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States and its territories to enter and/or improve their success in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands; and provide beginning farmers and ranchers the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations and enhance their sustainability.

Learn more.

Amplifying Impact with More Michigan Farm and Foods: 10 Cents a Meal 2021-2022 Evaluation Results

The 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids and Farms (10 Cents a Meal) program continues to reach more children in schools, districts, and childcare sites across Michigan, with the 2021-2022 school year serving the largest number of participating grantees yet. Amplifying Impact with More Michigan Farms and Food shows the evaluation findings from the 2021-2022 10 Cents a Meal program. This report showcases 10 Cents a Meal’s impact by examining the faceted impact on Michigan kids, farms, and food service programs. From “What foods were served through 10 Cents?” to “The Big Picture: Does 10 Cents Work?”, this report provides key indicators towards progress achieved and future opportunities for growth.

Learn more.

Quarterly State Policy Roundtables

February 26, 2024 // 3 pm ET

After the great reception of our December 2023 State Policy Roundtable, the National Farm to School Network (NFSN) has decided to host these sessions quarterly! Save the date for their upcoming session on February 26th. This session is designed for both NFSN and Partners to share and discuss insights and updates on state-level policy. If you are not yet an NFSN Partner, learn more and sign up to become one here.

Learn more.