December 1, 2022

This Week in Farm to School 

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

EmbraceRace Early Childhood Summit 2022

December 3, 2022 // 12 pm - 4 pm ET

Join EmbraceRace for their first half-day event focusing on racial learning in early childhood. Their guests will all speak to this year’s theme, Defending and Celebrating Early Racial Learning. The conversations will inspire and suggest ways forward for caregivers, parents, and educators to advocate for honest teaching and learning about race, racism, and equity in schools. Guests will provide ideas and insight into the coalition-building and advocacy strategies needed to counter efforts to shut down these conversations.

Register here.

Music in the Garden

January 18, 2022 // 2 pm ET

Join the next session of the Growing School Garden Summit Webinar Series hosted by the School Garden Support Organization Network. This session will demonstrate how to incorporate multi-sensory musical experiences into your school garden curriculum. Symon Hajjar of Hot Toast Music Co. will share songs and lesson ideas, lead activities, and facilitate discussion about how to take advantage of the integrated learning opportunities found in a garden. 

Register here.

2023 NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference

February 22, 2023 // 8 am - 4 pm ET

Save the date for the 12th annual NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference hosted by the Carolina Hunger Initiative. This annual day will be full of celebration and inspiration for everyone in North Carolina interested in making sure youth have access to healthy food. The conference will be in-person at The Friday Conference Center in Chapel Hill. The conference registration fee includes access to the all-day event, lunch, snack breaks, and parking.

Register here.

Article: North Carolina Student Meal Debt 

As of November 1st, approximately $1.3 million in school meal debt has already accrued across North Carolina’s school districts. This may indicate there are many students who come from households that don’t qualify for free school meals, yet can’t afford to eat during the school day. 

Read more here.

From Seed to Harvest: Summary of Michigan Procurement Pilot

The Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems supported a procurement pilot to help Early Care and Education (ECE) providers obtain locally-grown food from a variety of sources, as well as encourage providers to self-assess their experience in the program.

Learn more here.

Food Waste Reduction through Farm to School Programs

According to the 2019 School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study (SNMCS), approximately 21 percent of calories in school lunches were wasted. Evidence from the SNMCS indicates participation in a farm to school program was associated with a lower percentage of waste for calories in the School Breakfast Program, and higher participation in the National School Lunch Program.

Read more here.

2023 Youth Garden Grant

Tomorrow! Deadline: December 2, 2022

KidsGardening's Youth Garden Grant has supported school and youth educational garden projects since 1982. In early 2023, fifty organizations will be awarded $500 in funding and a collection of gardening supplies for their youth garden program. Ten programs will receive a specialty award package among the fifty winners.

Apply here.

From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals

Deadline: December 14, 2022

The primary goal of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals Program (NEXTGEN) is to enable 1890 institutions, 1994 institutions, Alaska Native-serving institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions (specifically, the certified Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities (HSACUs)), and insular area institutions of higher education located in the U.S. territories to build and sustain the next generation of the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) workforce primarily through student scholarship support, paid internships, fellowships, and job opportunity matching, and facilitating pathways to employment in the federal sector.

Learn more here.

USDA Farm to School Grant 

Deadline: January 6, 2023

The United States Department of Agriculture will award up to $12 million in competitive grants to eligible entities through the Farm to School Grant Program in FY 2023. Each grant helps implement farm to school programs that increase access to local food in eligible schools, connect children with agriculture for better health, and inspire youth to consider careers in agriculture. The RFA includes three tracks - Implementation, State Agency, and Turnkey - to support a variety of projects and implementation stages. 

Learn more here.

Development and Implementation of Healthy Meals Incentives School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants

Letter of Intent Deadline: January 9, 2023

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will award up to four cooperative agreements for the administration and management of the Healthy Meals Incentives School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants. FNS expects to award $50 million in total funding through a competitive award process for use over the grant period through up to four cooperative agreements. 

Learn more here.

School Meals for All Campaign

The North Carolina Alliance for Health, Carolina Hunger Initiative, Center for Black Health and Equity, A Better Chance A Better Community (ABC2), and other partners across North Carolina are launching a School Meals for All Campaign! This campaign will work to secure funding for school meals for all so that every child in every public school in North Carolina has access to breakfast and lunch at no cost to their families. Sign up to stay updated on the School Meals for All Campaign.

Learn more here.

A Common Thread: Indigenous-led Foundation Weaves Together Activism and Art, Climate, and Community

This article explores the work of Alicia Fall, an advocate for Indigenous voices and founder of Her Many Voices Foundation. Learn more about the land back movement as well as the concept of rematriation. 

Read more here.

Honoring Indigenous People and Land

The following is a list of resources compiled by the Children & Nature Network that honor Indigenous people and land. Resources include land acknowledgments and beyond, resources for organizations, and more!

Learn more here.

Native Farm to School Guide: Connecting Traditional Foods, Stories, Language, and Community

First Nations recognizes that the deep roots of Native communities in tending and harvesting food have grown into contemporary farming, ranching, and other forms of agriculture. The Native Farm to School Guide: Connecting Traditional Foods, Stories, Language, and Community focuses on what food sovereignty can look like inside community education and school systems.

Learn more here.