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This Week in Farm to School
February 24, 2022
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Farm to school connects local agriculture, schools, and partners to benefit students, educators, farmers, families, and communities.
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Today! No Kid Hungry Day of Action - Child Nutrition Waivers
No Kid Hungry is planning a digital day of action today, Feb. 24, for kids in NC and across the county. Over the past two years of the pandemic, Child Nutrition waivers have been an important tool that allows schools and local organizations to feed kids in ways that work best for their communities, but they are set to expire on June 30. The USDA needs authority from Congress to extend waivers for the summer months and through the 2022-2023 school year.
There is an additional opportunity to share your School Nutrition story with the North Carolina Alliance for Health down below in the policy section of this e-letter.
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Disparity to Parity: Environmental Resilience through Agricultural Policy
Today! February 24, 2022 // 2 pm - 3:30 pm EST
Join the Federation of Southern Cooperative for their webinar as they explore the environmental inequities – and vast resilience potential – of agricultural policy. Together, with an all-star lineup of activist speakers, they’ll discuss the damage caused by corporate control over natural resources and how balance can be restored.
United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Team Nutrition Meal Talk Webinars
March 9, 2022 // 3 pm - 4 pm EST
Join the USDA’s Team Nutrition initiative for a new webinar series, Meal Talk Webinars. These webinars provide interactive trainings on hot topics related to school meals. The first webinar of this series will focus on school breakfast and will provide an overview of USDA’s School Breakfast Program, including the benefits of school breakfast, program requirements, and resources for navigating supply chain challenges. Food and Nutrition Service Offices, State agencies, School Food Authorities (SFAs), and others who may be interested are invited to participate.
A Principal's Perspective: How School Meals Can Support the Socio-Emotional Needs of Students
March 9, 2022 // 3 pm EST
Join No Kid Hungry for a robust discussion with North Carolina's Regional Principal of the year Michelle Baker, around addressing the social-emotional needs of children through school meals and other interventions. Attendees will have a chance to win a social and emotional learning (SEL) package for their school.
Recovery and Resilience Series
March 11, 2022 // 12 pm - 1:30 pm EST, & ongoing monthly
This month’s topic from the Local and Regional Food Systems Response to COVID is The Local Food Environment: Data Sharing Across Local Food Networks.
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Halifax County Schools Winter Menu
Halifax County Schools highlighted locally grown produce from their student-led Greenleaf Farm and local NC BBQ. Carolina local plate posters will be in each cafeteria letting students know where their lunch came from. In two of the schools, teachers have lesson plans to teach about some of these local items!
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Carolina Hunger Initiative Cooking Demos
Looking for new recipes to try? Check out the Carolina Hunger Initiative’s cooking demos that were created for last week’s NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference.
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Life Lab School Garden Educator Certification Program
Life Lab is offering an online series that will guide and support educators in becoming a Life Lab-Certified School Garden Educator. The full series lasts for 16 weeks and with live sessions running from March 9th to June 22nd.
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School Meals Report, 2020 - 2021 School Year
The Food Research and Action Center has released their 2022 report – The Reach of Breakfast and Lunch: A Look at Pandemic and Pre-Pandemic Participation. The report found student participation in school breakfast and lunch dropped dramatically across the country when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and School Nutrition programs are still recovering.
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Climate Justice For All Project Grants
Deadline: March 7, 2022
The Climate Justice for All Grant Program (CJA grants) is an initiative that supports organizations or grassroots groups run by and primarily serving frontline communities in developing community solutions to environmental injustices in the US and Puerto Rico. Selected organizations receive a one-time grant of up to $20,000, access to a curated library of resources, and opportunities to help amplify and spread their message in partnership with Climate Reality and peer organizations.
Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant Program
Deadline: March 11, 2022
At Whole Kids Foundation, they know that the more kids know and feel connected to their food, the more curious they become about how things grow or taste, and the more willing they are to try new foods. Their Garden Grant program provides a $3,000 monetary grant to support a new or existing edible educational garden located at either a K-12 school or a non-profit organization that serves children in the K-12 grade range.
School Nutrition Foundation Equipment Grants
Deadline: March 31, 2022
The School Nutrition Foundation is teaming up with industry partners to provide new kitchen equipment to deserving districts. Apply now for the 2022 SNF Equipment Grant Program, featuring applications for not one but FIVE grants! Eligible applicants have the opportunity to win equipment grants, each worth between $20,000 to $100,000 of equipment. Applications and photos must be submitted by a School Nutrition Director. This year, only finalists will be asked to submit a 2-3-minute video. They will announce the recipients in May of 2022.
Outdoor Classroom Challenge
Deadline: April 8, 2022
Project Green Schools is challenging schools across the country to develop and implement a meaningful outdoor classroom and learning space that awards one Grand Prize of $10,000 to further enhance an existing space or build a new space. Schools will submit a formal write-up, proposed budget, and design of their outdoor learning classroom/space. Project Green Schools will invite the top five designs to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges in Spring 2022 to determine the winner.
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North Carolina Alliance for Health (NCAH) Action Alert: Share Your School Meals Story
School Nutrition Programs (SNPs) are essential programs that provide nutritious, affordable meals to students during the school day. These programs promote students’ nutritional, physical, social, emotional, and mental health, in addition to academic success. The last two years have highlighted the tireless efforts of SNP staff, and the critical role these programs plan in ensuring all students have access to nutritious meals. The NCAH is working to highlight these efforts and secure increased support for SNPs from the State. Please take action to share your story about how School Nutrition Programs have impacted you.
Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium - Final Rule
The USDA is finalizing its November 2020, proposed rulemaking regarding Child Nutrition meal pattern requirements. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service invites interested persons to submit written comments, before March 24, 2022, on the provisions of this final rule.
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The Untold History of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
The dawn of Community Supported Agriculture in the United States is most commonly attributed to Indian Line CSA (South Egremont, MA) and Temple-Wilton Community Farm (Wilton, NH), both founded in 1986 by European men. While these two farms have played undeniably large roles in the popularization of CSA in America, they are not the first in our country to have thought of the economic model, nor is Europe the first place in the world to have established agricultural memberships.
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