This Week in Farm to School 

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

SUN Bucks Webinar

May 8, 2024 // 12 pm to 1 pm ET

The North Carolina DHHS Division of Child and Family Well-Being (DCFW) invites you to join the upcoming Lunch & Learn webinar for community organizations to hear more about the newest summer food assistance program: SUN Bucks. Beginning in Summer 2024, SUN Bucks will provide grocery-buying benefits to qualifying families with school-aged children during the summer months. Benefits can be used to buy healthy food at places like grocery stores, farmers' markets, and some online retailers. This is the first of three webinar dates. 

Learn more and register.

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.

We Are's Educator Institute

June 25 - June 27, 2024 // 8:30 am to 4 pm ET

The We Are team is excited to announce that registration for their annual Educator Summer Institute is live. The Educator Summer Institute will be held in person at the W.G. Pearson Center in Durham. In the three-day workshop, participants will develop strategies and techniques that extend anti-racist practices in educational spaces and promote civic engagement and allyship with people of color on racial justice issues.

Learn more and register.

Garbage to Gardens

An innovative program in New Hanover County transforms cafeteria garbage once destined for the landfill into compost for school gardens and outdoor spaces.

Learn more.

Garden to Cafeteria Toolkit

Slow Food USA, in partnership with Whole Kids, has developed a toolkit to help school district food services safely bring school garden produce onto the lunch line!

Learn more.

What Makes a Great School Garden?

Foodcorps has curated a list of ideas to help you create a school garden where all are welcome to grow. 

Learn more.

BIPOC Leadership Series Conversation

WNC EarthMates, a partner of the Center of Environmental Farming Systems’ Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System (CORE), is a collective vision created and orchestrated with the health and well-being of the Asheville community in mind. Their work is fixed on reinvigorating communal interdependence and is a soulful call to reclaim indigenous practices and recall cultural traditions within food systems through art and agriculture.

Learn more.

Belonging in Schools

The Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley has created a case study about creating an environment where all students belong. The key topics for consideration in this case study are building for systemic change, implementing equity, thriving in education, belonging in school, co-creating, agency, changing internal structures of organization, power reallocation, and sacred circles.

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.

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)

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

This report by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition emphasizes the disproportionate benefits of current farm safety net programs to large, high-income agricultural entities over smaller and 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.