Farm to school is a program that brings together local schools, state agencies and organizations together with local farmers to supply healthy nutritious food to our childrens’ schools.
The mission of the YFC Conference is to inspire a generation of culinary and agricultural producers as they transform the future of food. The workshops, panels and talks this year will address the full, complex set of relationships that get food from field to plate, bringing in more conversations than ever before that address the intersections of farmer and cook, processor and seed keeper, baker and butcher. Learn more and register.
Contactless Virtual Market Model from Georgia Organics
December 9 // 3pm ET
During this session, theGeorgia Organics Mid-Week Pop Up Market team will discuss best practices and reflections after running the contactless virtual market as a COVID-19 response. The Georgia Organics team believe this market is a replicable model that relies on collaboration between farmers’ and community partners. Learn more and RSVP here.
Virtual Field Trips on the Apple Seeds Teaching Farm
Apple Seeds Teaching Farm is a non-profit based in Arkansas dedicated to garden-based education. They have created two standards-based virtual field trip programs for 3rd and 4th grade that are grant-funded and completely free to all students and educators. Each field trip includes:
- A video exploration of the farm;
- Optional supplemental worksheets; and a
- Detailed teacher guide
2020-21 NC Jr. Chef Competition
We are excited to announce the 2020-21 NC Jr. Chef Competition (NCJCC). This year's competition will be virtual. The NCJCC challenges teams of 2-4 high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) students enrolled in Culinary Arts and Hospitality, Food and Nutrition, or Food Science and Technology courses to work with their Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher and local School Nutrition Program to create a recipe for a school lunch entrée that features at least two North Carolina grown ingredients and one USDA Foods item, adheres to federal nutrition guidelines and meets student taste preferences. Intent to compete forms are due 12/18 and submission forms with application and recipe, recipe photo, and permission forms are due 2/1. Please share competition info with prospective teams.
The School Nutrition and District Operations Division and Career and Technical Education Division at the NC Department of Public Instruction partnered with the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Farm to School Program, NC Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and the Farm to School Coalition of North Carolina (F2SCNC) to plan the North Carolina Jr. Chef Competition. Learn morehttps://bit.ly/2KVeO4f .
Grant Opportunities
No Kid Hungry: Increase Food Security Among Young Children (0-5 Years Old) Grant Opportunity
Deadline: December 18
Community organizations, early child care centers, healthcare providers and others working to ensure vulnerable young children have access to healthy food are encouraged to apply for a grant. Grants will be between $15,000-$25,000. These grants are flexible and No Kid Hungry is especially eagerto support organizations who have authentically engaged community members to develop innovative programs that support young children. Learn more and apply.
Please send grant opportunities to Arneisha Smallwood, ansmallw@ncsu.edu, or Tessa Thraves, tes_thraves@ncsu.edu.
Racial Equity Resources
The Food and Beverage Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans
In acknowledgement of the immeasurable contributions the Black and Indigenous communities have made to the modern American foodscape, the James Beard Foundation announcedthe James Beard Foundation Food and Beverage Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans, a new grant initiative to provide financial resources for food or beverage businesses that are majority-owned by Black or Indigenous individuals. Learn more.
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. View webinars/ resourceshere.
National Farm to School Network
Call to Action: By 2025, 100% of Communities Will Hold Power in a Racially Just Food System
The National Farm to School Network has a vision of a racially just food system for all, and we work to achieve that vision through farm to school – the ways kids eat, grow, and learn about food in schools and early care and education settings. We are issuing a call to action for ourselves and the entire food system: By 2025, 100% of communities will hold power in a racially just food system. Two years ago, we embarked on a systems mapping process to sketch out the next chapter of farm to school’s evolution, through which we identified three equity-centered priority areas or levers that will help move us further in the shortest amount of time: relationships, strategies, and programs and policy. Please click here to learn about the call to action and how you can get involved.
