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 OCFS Director Erin Healy, and Regional Lead, Julianna Arnett, visiting Farm to School grantee, Real Good Fish, in Monterey, CA, January 2017
Greetings from the Director of the Office of Community Food Systems
by Erin Healy
October is my favorite month, as it elicits fond memories of
visiting farms to pick fresh apples on crisp autumn days, harvesting and carving
oddly-shaped pumpkins, and jumping on hay-filled tractors to ride through
haunted corn fields. It is a time for celebration, as farmers throughout many
parts of the country are harvesting the fruits of their labor, and it is also a
time for reflection as the seasons change and the days shorten. As I reflect on
the Farm to School movement, I feel proud and impressed by the results achieved
by my national and regional FNS team, partners, leaders, and predecessors. The
young Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS), formed in 2016, grew quickly in
its beginning stage and is now composed of 12 full time staff who work across
the country to provide training, technical assistance, and grant funding to a
wide variety of stakeholders in order to launch, implement, and expand Farm to
School efforts.
We are now approaching a new phase in our development - one
aimed at expanding our reach and scope through the integration of Farm to
School across our Agency and our partners’ work. During this upcoming fiscal
year, OCFS strives to distribute more grant funding ($7.5M in FY2019), using
the infusion of additional federal funds, and to increase the capacity of our
State partners to support the full integration of Farm to School practices,
principles, and strategies into the operations, workflows, staffing, and
structures of State Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health. As with
farming, which requires patience and time for crops to mature, we may not
harvest the fruits of our labor for some time. We look forward to 2020 when the
2019 Farm to School Census data will be released, new producer-focused
resources will be unveiled, and improvements to the grant program will take
effect.
We are excited to enter this near year with you all, and I
encourage you to integrate Farm to School in your respective schools,
communities, tribes, agencies, organizations, and farms, fisheries, or ranches.
Each and every one of your local efforts feeds into a larger stakeholder
community that is responding to an increasing demand for a stronger connection
with our food, our cultures, our local producers, and our land. Please
join us in celebrating this harvest season and Farm to School month in a way
that achieves OCFS’s vision of every child, in every child nutrition program,
having access to local food every day. We thank you for all of your hard work
and recognize your accomplishments in connecting children with the source of
their food and connecting producers to new markets.
 31 Days to Celebrate Farm to School Month!
by The National Farm to School Network
Every October, when gardens and farms are full of harvest
bounty and students are sliding up to lunchroom tables, communities across
every corner of the country come together to recognize the connections
happening between students and local foods. For 31 days, we celebrate all
things farm to school during National Farm to School Month!
In 2010, the National
Farm to School Network advocated that Congress designate October as
National Farm to School Month (House
Resolution 1655). This yearly celebration now brings together
millions of students, educators, parents, farmers and food producers, school
lunch professionals, food advocates, and community members from a wide range of
sectors to raise awareness of the important role of farm to school in improving
child nutrition, supporting local economies, and fostering vibrant communities.
Everyone can get involved and celebrate National Farm to
School Month! At the National Farm to School Network, we encourage you to use
National Farm to School Month as an opportunity to find small ways to get
informed, be inspired and take action to grow farm to school
in your community. Whether you’re hosting a taste test in the cafeteria,
harvesting school garden produce, visiting a farmers market, reading a
food-related book, or making a new farm to school connection, no action is too
small! Check out our Farm
to School Month Celebration Toolkit for 60+ action ideas you try
this month.
Many states celebrate National Farm to School Month with
special events, providing more great opportunities to get involved this
October. Maryland,
New
Jersey, New
Mexico and Virginia
organize statewide Farm to School Weeks. Iowa, Massachusetts,
North
Dakota and Washington
celebrate farm to school with state Local Food Days. The Great Lakes
region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin),
Montana
and North
Carolina celebrate farm to school by taking a big bite out of local
apples with a synchronized, statewide CRUNCH. Find out how your state is
celebrating and how you can get involved by exploring our National
Farm to School Month Events Calendar.
The National Farm to School Network has developed resources
and printable materials to help promote National Farm to School Month in
schools, early care and education settings, and communities this October.
Download customizable posters
and bookmarks,
stickers,
coloring
pages, postcards,
and more at www.farmtoschool.org/month.
Whatever actions you take these next 31 days, know that you
are part of a movement that’s creating positive change by growing healthy
eaters, supporting local agriculture, and building vibrant communities. That’s
worth celebrating!
Happy National Farm to School Month!
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Kickin' it with Kale!
October is Farm to School Month and schools
and early care centers across Georgia
are celebrating all things kale! Kickin’ it with Kale is a
state-wide celebration to get kids eating, growing, and participating in
kale-themed activities. Make sure you check out the campaign materials
available online at www.georgiaorganics.org/for-schools/octoberfarmtoschoolmonth.
All Participants will receive free electronic resources to help plan and
implement their activities. Resources include standards-based lesson
plans, quick activities, recipes, videos, school garden planting and harvesting
information, and more!
Partners are also encouraged to share their Kickin’
it with Kale pictures and activities on social media with
#KickinitwithKale. Each week during October, anyone who uses this hashtag will
be entered to win a gift card and at the end of the month, a grand prize winner
will be selected, winning a two day education pass to the Georgia Organics
Conference on Feb. 8-9, 2019 in Tifton, Georgia (a $350 value)! Questions?
Visit www.georgiaorganics.org/for-schools/octoberfarmtoschoolmonth
or email abbie@georgiaorganics.org.
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OCFS
will host Webinar Series on the FY2019 Farm to School Grants and Grant
application Process
We hope you will join
OCFS for a very special two-part webinar series this October 16th
and 17th. These webinars will
review the important details of the FY2019 Farm to School Grants and walk
through the Grant Application process. The
webinars will be recorded and made available on the Grantee Resources page of
the FNS OCFS website.
October
16th – “Getting Familiar with the Farm to School RFA” Part 1 of 2:
This webinar will provide an overview of how to apply
for the FY 19 Farm to School Grant Program RFA, and what entities and projects
are eligible to apply for farm to school grant funding. Get familiar with the requirements of
the RFA and how to submit your completed application on grants.gov.
To
register, please visit: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/ot168k7ysx68&eom
October 17th – “Getting Your Grant Package Together”
Part 2 of 2: In part two, we explore the key
characteristics of a competitive Farm to School Application. Get an overview of
how to develop an integrated farm to school project that addresses the need of
your target audience and aligns with the intention of the grant program. Learn
tips on how to write a succinct application that clearly outlines your
project's objectives and potential for success.
To register, please
visit: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/hqmetus6lvru&eom
Check out October’s Team
Nutrition Webinar: “Celebrate National Farm to School Month in Early Child Care
and Education (ECE) Settings: Farm to CACFP”
Thursday, October 25th, 2018, 2 to 3
p.m. Eastern Time/1 to 2 p.m. Central Time/12 to 1 p.m. Mountain Time/ 11 a.m.
to 12 p.m. Pacific Time.
Register today at: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/k80tb8hsgyn4&eom
Learn more about Farm to the
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) during this interactive webinar
brought to you by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.
Participants will learn:
· how Farm to CACFP efforts big and small, can be successfully
implemented in a variety of settings;
· how early exposure to gardening, farming, and local foods can
benefit young eaters;
· where to find free Team Nutrition materials focused on
garden-based nutrition education that can be used in early care and education
sites; and
· how California-based North Bay Children’s Center’s Garden of
Eatin’, program is helping to change the way children think about food through
hands-on experiences
Certificates of participation will be provided for those who
attend the entire webinar. The webinar will be recorded and made available at a
later date on the Team Nutrition and USDA Farm to School websites.
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