This Week in Farm to School
December 2, 2021

Farm to school connects local agriculture, schools, and partners to benefit students, educators, farmers, families, and communities.
#NCCrunch2021

Next Friday, December 10th the Farm to School Coalition of NC will be partnering with NCDPI School Nutrition on Facebook to lift up and share out stories from #NCCrunch2021! You can check out our highlights by viewing the hashtags #FarmtoSchool and #FlashbackFriday. Also, continue to tag us in your NC Crunch activities!
Webinar Series: Native Farm to School
December 2, 2021 (and ongoing)
First Nations Development Institute is currently hosting the second season of their Native Farm to School Webinar Series. Cultivating cultural and medicinal harvest camps, Tribal food sovereignty, and developing a Native farm to school program - these are only a few of the topics that will be covered throughout the series. The next webinar in the series will take place on December 2nd.

Call for Session Proposals: National Children & Youth Garden Symposium
Deadline: January 7, 2022
The American Horticultural Society is pleased to announce its 30th annual National Children & Youth Garden Symposium (NCYGS), the only national professional development event of its kind where they are cultivating tomorrow's gardeners by energizing, inspiring, and training today's garden educators. Now's your chance to share your expertise with garden educators by presenting a session! Session presenters receive a discounted registration rate to attend the symposium. Please reference these tips and guidelines and submit your session proposal online by January 7, 2022.

2022 NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference
February 17, 2022 // 9:30 am - 4 pm 
This year's conference is once again hosted by the Carolina Hunger Initiative, a part of the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. The conference was started by No Kid Hungry NC, which is a partnership between UNC and Share Our Strength supported by the same team as Carolina Hunger Initiative. This conference will be a chance for North Carolinians to celebrate each other, share stories of their success and innovations, and look to what the future might be for Child Nutrition in our state.

Recorded Webinar: Coffee Chat Recording: Celebrating Indigenous Foodways & Futures
The National Farm to School Network had a conversation on Facebook Live as a part of NFSN’s ongoing celebration of Native American Heritage Month. Watch this rich conversation aimed at appreciating indigenous knowledge, highlighting traditional foodways, and uplifting food sovereignty efforts.
Nutrition Education Coordinator Jop Opening (Bilingual)
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is looking for a Nutrition Education Coordinator (Bilingual) to join their team. 
School Nutrition - Roving Field Manager Trainer Job Opening
Rockingham County Schools is looking for a School Nutrition Roving Field Manager Trainer who will work under the supervision of the School Nutrition Supervisor. The Roving Field Manager Trainer trains and provides assistance to the School Nutrition Managers.
NC Sweetpotato Commission Curricula 
The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission collaborated with North Carolina Ag in the Classroom to develop classroom-ready lesson plans featuring sweetpotatoes for grades K-12 including a section focusing on Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS). The curriculum was written for elementary, middle, and high school students and each lesson meets standards set forth by the U.S. Department of Education. Lesson plans include links to videos from the sweetpotato growing season, posters depicting “A Year in the Life of a North Carolina Sweetpotato” as well as links to the storybook and activity guide, Digging for North Carolina Sweetpotatoes.
The School Garden Cookbook
This digital cookbook, created by the Captain Planet Foundation, is filled with simple and accessible recipes that have all been tested in the classroom. All of the recipes serve a sampling of 20-25 students. Students can complete the recipes themselves in the timeframe of 30 minutes to 1 hour. Peppered throughout the book are recipe-specific tips and stories that give some context and tips.
FreshFarm FoodPrints 
The team at FRESHFARM is offering fun, high-energy instructional videos for teachers and students that have been designed to be taught throughout the school year across grades from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade. The FoodPrints Curriculum is free lessons that have been sequenced according to seasonal topics and adaptable for a range of uses from embedded programming, to supplementing classroom education, to garden-based learning.
Finding, Improving, and Sequencing High-Quality Garden Lessons
This guide highlights promising practices shared by various School Garden Support Organizations from across the county on how to develop a lesson sequence to support student learning, find the lessons you’re looking for, and adapt or improve up them.
2022 Youth Garden Grant
Deadline: December 17, 2021
A total of 50 programs will be awarded Youth Garden Grants in 2022. All winning programs will receive a check for $250 and materials to grow their garden program. Forty programs will receive packages worth $1,050, five programs will receive the base package plus a $1,000 tool grant from Corona Tools, and five programs will receive the base package plus two Garden Towers from Garden Tower Project! Any nonprofit organization, public or private school, or youth program in the United States or U.S. Territories planning a new garden program or expanding an established one that serves at least 15 youth between the ages of 3 and 18 is eligible to apply.

Community Food Projects (CFP) Competitive Grants Program
Deadline: December 20, 2021
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture Community Food Projects (CFP) funds two types of grants: (1) Community Food Projects (CFP) and (2) Planning Projects (PP). CFP supports the development of projects with a one-time infusion of federal dollars to make such projects self-sustaining. CFPs are designed to create community-based food projects with objectives, activities, and outcomes that are in alignment with Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFPCGP) primary goals. The purpose of a Planning Project (PP) is to complete a plan toward the improvement of community food security in keeping with the primary goals of the CFPCGP. Projects and plans are to focus on a defined community and describe in detail the activities and outcomes of the plan or project. 

USDA Farm to School Grant Request for Application
Deadline: January 10, 2022
The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) seeks to award up to $12 million this fiscal year. Eligible schools, institutions operating the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program, State and local agencies, Indian Tribal Organizations, small- to medium-sized agricultural producers or groups of small- to medium-sized agricultural producers, and non-profit organizations are eligible for Farm to School grants. Priority scoring incentives return for applicants who meet certain criteria, including new priority consideration for organizations led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and serving BIPOC communities, and organizations located in and serving rural areas. 

WNC Farm to School Jumpstart Grant
Deadline: January 15, 2021
The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s (ASAP) Growing Minds Jumpstart Grant is now open! Eligible schools and organizations can apply for funding in the amount of $500 to $1,000 to support their farm to school project. Funding can be used to start new projects or to expand upon existing activities. Pre-k through 12 schools, homeschool groups, teacher and nutrition education programs, and community-based organizations serving children and families are eligible to apply. Schools/organizations must be located within the 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina (Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey) or the Qualla Boundary.

School Nutrition Foundation Equipment Grants
Deadline: January 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. The recipients will be notified in late March. This year, only finalists will be asked to submit a 2-3-minute video.
The National Farm to School Network
Lacy Stephens, Senior Program Manager of the National Farm to School Network (NFSN), spoke with Andrew Powers of PEER Associates, lead evaluator for the Northeast Farm to School Institute, to discuss impacts and learnings from the farm to school institute model. The Northeast Farm to School Institute model, developed by Vermont FEED, is a unique year-long learning opportunity for schools, districts, and early childhood teams to build robust and sustainable farm to school programs.
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Invests in Youth in Underserved Communities
The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently announced its investment of over $3.5 million to support educational awareness of food, agriculture, and farm safety for youth in underserved communities.
Navajo and Hopi Farmers Keep the Culture of Food Alive
The Navajo and Hopi nations in northeastern Arizona are known as “food deserts,” with little access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Tribal members lost land, languages, and farming practices when white settlers colonized the West. But local farmers are working to keep the culture of food alive for the next generation of Indigenous farmers, gardeners, and chefs. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports they’re blending traditional knowledge with nontraditional farming techniques.

Additional Racial Equity Resources
The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), one of our Farm to School Coalition of NC partners, has created a document of current webinars as well as resources to facilitate engagement and learning around Racial Equity, both in general and especially as it relates to food systems and education.