Fresh From Florida Plate Day
In May 2017, Sarasota County hosted the first My
“Fresh From Florida” Plate Day. All 54 public schools in Sarasota County
participated to celebrate locally grown Florida items. The products sourced from Florida producers included beef patties, lettuce,
tomatoes, milk, green beans, red potatoes, blueberries and watermelon. Dr.
Beverly Girard, Director of Food and Nutrition Services, says their goal for
the event was “to familiarize students with fresh fruits and vegetables to
increase their consumption, and to buy as much as we can from Florida farms.”
Sarasota County Superintendent, Dr. Todd Bowden, said “It’s really important to
highlight for them what a balanced meal looks like and where food comes
from.”
Sarasota County Schools Food and
Nutrition Services partnered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services, Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness to host a featured
event at McIntosh Middle School. Some of the farmers who produced the
food being served attended the event and were recognized as special
guests. The farmers visited with the students, talked to them about the
importance of agriculture in Florida and answered questions specifically
related to their industry.
The Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services assisted the school district with promotional items such
as banners, flyers, social media posts, and created farmer trading cards for the
students. These trading cards included statistics about each farmer,
including how many acres the farm has, how long the farmer has been farming,
what their favorite fruit or vegetable is and more.
Schools who want to replicate My “Fresh From
Florida” Plate Day are encouraged to review the Fresh From Florida Event Guide and contact
the Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness for more information. The division can provide assistance with planning, promoting, and executing your
My “Fresh From Florida” Plate Day event.
Funding Opportunities and Resources
 The FY2018 Farm to School Grant Request for Applications is Available!
The Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS) is funding eligible entities to implement farm to
school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. On an
annual basis, USDA awards up to $5 million in competitive grants for training,
supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school
gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs.
Grant funding is available for eligible entities including schools and school
districts, state and local agencies, non-profit organizations, small- and
medium-sized agricultural producers, and Indian tribal organizations. State agencies and Indian tribal organizations are a
funding priority! Check out these resources for more information:
Completed applications must be
submitted on grants.gov by 11:59pm ET on December 8, 2017. Stay tuned to the E-letter for additional applicant
resources and late-breaking updates!
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Date: Thursday, October 26, 2017 from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm EST
The National Cooperative
Business Association (NCBA) will be hosting a seminar/webinar exploring how
food retail cooperatives can leverage Federal, State and local funds, as well
as private capital, to finance their food businesses in efforts to advance
regional food system development. The event will be moderated by Doug
O’Brien, NCBA’s Executive Vice President of Programs, and presenters will
include:
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Andrew Dumont, Federal Reserve
- Jim Barham, USDA Rural Development
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Andy Rachlin, Reinvestment Fund
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Alison Powers, Capital Impact Partners
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Steve Cooke, Friendly City Co-op
This
seminar/webinar is part of a wider effort to promote the recently published
report, Harvesting
Opportunity: The Power of Regional Food System Investments to Transform
Communities –
a collaborative effort by the Federal Reserve System and USDA to highlight food
systems investment opportunities across the U.S.
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National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Funding Opportunity | Community Foods Projects
The Community Food
Projects Competitive Grant Program funds projects designed to meet the needs of
low-income individuals and increase community self-reliance concerning food and
nutrition. Funding is also designed to meet specific state, local, or
neighborhood food and agricultural needs, including needs relating to
equipment, planning for long-term solutions, and/or marketing.
Applications due December 4, 2017!
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2018 Youth Garden Grant
KidsGardening awards funding and gardening supplies to schools and community organizations
with youth-centered garden programs.
Youth Garden Grants are
awarded to schools and community organizations with youth-centered garden
programs. In evaluating grant applications, priority will be given to programs
that demonstrate sustainability, as well as impact in curriculum areas, such as:
- Character education;
- Health and nutrition;
- Environmental education; and,
- Entrepreneurship.
Any nonprofit, school,
or youth program planning a new garden project or expanding an established one
that serves at least 15 youth between the ages of 3-18 is eligible to apply.
Award packages include
seeds, tools, gardening supplies, gift certificates, and curriculum materials.
Visit KidsGardening for details on prize
packages.
Applications due December 8, 2017!
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Team Nutrition Celebrates Farm to School Month
What's Cooking USDA Mixing Bowl highlights nutritious, healthy, kid-approved recipes that have been standardized for use by child nutrition program operators. Celebrate the fall and enjoy these farm to school favorites:
Want more recipes? Click the learn more button below!
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 Group photo at Johnson Elementary, Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer, Charlottesville City Schools Associate Superintendent Jim Henderson, Charlottesville School Board Chair Juan Wade, Jeanette Abi-Nader, CSG Executive Director, Students and others
A lot has been going on in Charlottesville, Virginia. In the midst of it all, youth are growing gardens at their neighborhood schools dotted around the city. Awarded a USDA Farm to School grant in 2015, City Schoolyard Garden is working with Charlottesville City Schools, Local Food Hub and other partners to implement a Harvest of the Month program and daily garden engagement for the 4,200 youth in their school district. This week, the City of Charlottesville collaborated, naming the first week in October Charlottesville Farm to School & Healthy Schools Week. Packed with garden activities, visits from local farm animals and from scratch meals made with local foods on each day’s menu, the week was exciting.
 To top it off, First Lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliffe, a strong local food and farm to school advocate, visited Johnson Elementary City Schoolyard Garden. She had homemade chicken noodle soup with students, hung out with the chickens in the garden, helped to sift compost and received a CSG Golden Trowel Award for her healthy foods advocacy. To learn more, check out their Facebook page!
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