This Week in Farm to School 

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

May Harvest of the Month

It's May so that means it's strawberry season! Rich in flavor and nutrients, strawberries are a tasty addition to your school garden.

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

How New England Collaborates on Farm to School Policy Towards 30 x 30 

May 14, 1-2 pm ET

A network of Farm to School and other food systems advocates in New England and New York have been collaborating deeply to create a policy platform and skill set that is now bearing fruit in powerful ways across the region. Recently, three states have passed Universal School Meals policies; five states have passed Farm to School and Early Childhood grant programs; and four states have passed Local Food Purchasing Incentive programs. Join FINE to hear the story of how these policies came to be, the regional collaboration that supports their development, and how these policies are working together to increase food access, local purchasing, equity, and food education.

Learn more and register.

Child Nutrition Programs Final Rule: Updates to the CACFP & SFSP Meal Patterns

May 16, 2024 // 2 pm ET

Join the National Farm to School Network for a webinar with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) as they provide an overview of the Child Nutrition Programs Final Rule: Updates to the CACFP & SFSP Meal Patterns. 

Learn more.

Racial Equity Learning Lab Micro-Series

May 17, 2024 // 2 pm to 3:30 pm 

The National Farm to School Network invites you to join their Racial Equity Learning Lab micro-series, following the successful completion of their initial cohort. Designed to highlight key learnings and promote racial equity in our collective efforts, these sessions mirror pivotal aspects of the original Lab, covering topics like shared language, appreciative inquiry, and community agreements. 

Learn more and register.

Transplanting Traditions Community Farm AAPI Heritage Month Open House

May 18, 2024 // 11 am ET

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islanders History Month (MAY 2024), TTCF will be hosting an event and launching an online donation campaign for the month. Their Spring Open House will be a small festival-style gathering focused on AAPI-inspired food, vendors, music, and activities for youth and children. Produce from TTCF farmers will be available to purchase and attendees will have 2 chances to tour the farm! Admission is free but there is a fee for the farm tour. 

Learn more and register for a farm tour.

Sensory Gardening with Kids Activity Kit

Gardening is a ‘sense-sational’ way to engage kids in outdoor learning and play! With their incredible diversity of shapes, sizes, colors, scents, and textures, plants offer limitless options for designing a garden space to engage all the senses. KidsGardening is excited to team up with their friends at Little Seeds Kids to bring you a new activity kit full of ideas for starting your own sensory garden.  The 8-page kit compiles sensory garden design tips and plant suggestions along with an assortment of fun and engaging activities you can try with young gardeners with or without a garden space.

Learn more.

New Research Brief: School Meals for All in California

California implemented a School Meals for All program (also called universal meals) after federal waivers allowing free school meals during COVID-19 ended. A survey of 430 food service directors revealed that layered government investments are associated with better meal operations, labor practices, and local food sourcing.

Learn more.

Garbage to Gardens Animation 

New Hanover Cooperative Extension has created an animation to teach students and others about the Garbage to Gardens program.

Learn more.

Eating Learning Growing: A Delicious Guide to Culturally Relevant Farm to School Education

This resource embodies the Center for Ecoliteracy's core principle — Nature Is Our Teacher — by sharing how diversity, including diversity in human communities, is a foundation for healthy patterns of living and a healthier planet. It provides a framework, activities, and reflections that help educators enhance farm to school lessons to make them more culturally relevant and celebrate fruits and vegetables.

Learn more.

Building Equity in the NC Food System Through Community Practice

Building Equity in the NC Food System Through Community Practice is a document authored by Christopher J. Gillespie, a 5th-year doctoral candidate at North Carolina State University and the Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE) Fellow. The document addresses challenges and opportunities within the North Carolina (NC) food system, emphasizing the need for strategic partnerships and community-driven initiatives.

Learn more.

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.

Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation Announces Two Grant Opportunities Supporting School Gardening and Wildlife Habitat Programs

Deadline: May 31, 2024

The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation is excited to launch two new grant applications. These grants, announced at the Growing School Gardens Summit this past March, will support the buildout and/or expansion of school gardening programs and wildlife habitats on school campuses. Eligible organizations include schools, school districts, and 501(c)(3) nonprofits that run programming in states where Sprouts operates stores.

• Sprouting School Gardens Grant

The Sprouting School Gardens Grant is designed to help schools create or expand their garden programs on school campuses with an emphasis on nutrition education. Grants range in size from $5,000 to $10,000 and may be used to support program operations, program supplies, learning tools, and educator stipends.

• Lundberg Family Farms Sprouting Habitats Grant

In honor of Earth Month, Lundberg Family Farms has teamed up with the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation to bring wildlife habitats to school campuses. With a shared commitment to creating healthier green spaces and expanding outdoor education, fifteen schools will be awarded $1,000 to build the wildlife habitat of their dreams.

Learn more and apply.

Beginning Farmers Stipend

Deadline: May 31, 2024

RAFI is accepting applications for the 2024 Beginning Farmers Stipend. Stipends support the success of Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers by helping to reduce financial barriers. Stipends may be used to cover farming start-up and/or production costs. Individual applicants may request between $3,000 – $5,000 in funding. Applications are available in English and Spanish. 

Learn more and apply.

Food Justice for Kids Prize by Newman’s Own Foundation

Deadline: June 11, 2024

Is your organization working towards food justice for kids in the United States? If so, this is your chance to receive up to $100,000 in grant funding over the next 2 years and deepen your impact! Apply by June 11, 2024, at one of the links below. They welcome applications from all eligible organizations, and in particular seek to be inclusive of organizations led by and/or representing historically marginalized and under-represented groups, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). The Newman’s Own Foundation is seeking applications from organizations working in two priority program areas: 

(1) Indigenous Food Justice (Apply here) and

(2) Nutrition Education and School Food (Apply here)

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.

Request a Virtual Presentation from the National Farm to School Network's "Who's at the Table" Campaign

Invite your group or organization to join the National Farm to School Network's "Who's at the Table" campaign through a virtual presentation! Let's collaborate to enhance school meals and honor everyone involved in bringing nutritious food to our students' tables.

Request a presentation. 

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition - Unsustainable: State of the Farm Safety Net

This National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition report emphasizes the disproportionate benefits of current farm safety net programs to large, high-income agricultural entities over smaller, more diverse farms. It points out a resource concentration that fails to address the needs of underserved producers in various regions, highlighting the need for a recalibration toward a more equitable and sustainable safety net. The report also underscores the potential for improved risk management through on-farm practices and a targeted safety net that prioritizes farmers with the most financial vulnerability.

Learn more.