Valley School District
Valley School District hosted a "Cook with Your Farmer" lunch for Taste Washington Day. Eileen from Ramstead Ranch helped prepare lunch that included a deluxe cheeseburger using beef from Ramstead, topped with Happy Mountain Mushrooms. After lunch, students visited a farmers table to learn about soil, growing mushrooms, and grab a coloring page and stickers. The event was a massive success. Students were lined up through the cafeteria to speak with the farmers.
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Chewelah School District
Chewelah School District held a Meet Your Farmer Day to celebrate Farm to School Month. They served pizza with sourdough crust made by Spotted Acres, a local sourdough baker, fresh mozzarella from a local creamery, local vegetables, and beef from Inland Empire Beef.
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Columbia School District
Columbia School District hosted a Meet Your Farmer Day for Farm to School Month. They served scratch-made meatballs, using Inland Empire beef for meatball subs, alongside local potatoes, carrots, melons, and apples.
Students loved chatting with the local rancher and playing a pin the eye on the potato game!
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Sprague School District
Sprague School District served local butternut squash and apples for Taste Washington Day.
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Reardan School District
Rearden School District served a local vegetable bar and Casa Cano Farms visit to talk with students.
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Selkirk School District
Selkirk School District had Ramstead Ranch visit during lunch to talk with students.
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Republic School District
Republic School District had local farmers visit during Taste Washington Day.
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Odessa School District
Odessa School District served local fruit and yogurt parfaits.
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Spokane International Academy
Spokane International Academy held a Meet Your Farmer Day with Casa Cano Farms, serving apples and carrots processed by Casa Cano. Kids watched a video about how the apples were processed for schools and voted on whether they liked the apples and carrots.
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Dieringer School District
North Tapps Middle Schools celebrated Farm to School garden connections during Taste Washington Day, bringing together producers, agencies, and community partners to highlight local food in school meals. Students participated through student-led programs and Career and Technical Education (CTE) connections in the middle school area, including the garden program and garden-to-cafeteria connections.
The menu featured Colvin Ranch beef burgers, DeGoede Farms lettuce, Bellewood apples, Four Elements Farm seasonal veggies, and Rowley and Hawkins dried cherries, showcasing the variety and quality of Washington-grown ingredients
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Plastic Free Lunch Day is November 17–21, 2025!
Join Cafeteria Culture for the sixth biannual Plastic Free Lunch Day (PFLD).
Why go plastic free?
It's good for the environment and saves money. If every school in the United States reduced just two pieces of plastic per school lunch every day, 10 billion pieces of plastic could be eliminated per school year!
4 Steps for plastic-free action and engagement
- Learn about the plastic pollution problem
- Make a plan
- Promote a plastic-free lunch day
- Collect data and share your success
See the movement grow!
Some Washington schools are already participating in PFLD. Check out the participation map!
Start with eliminating single-use plastic for one day. Serve finger foods, unwrapped sandwiches, and/or use bulk condiment dispensers to reduce plastic.
Learn more about PFLD on the Cafeteria Culture webpage.
Harvest of the Month
OSPI’s Harvest of the Month resource sheets help districts feature seasonal, Washington-grown foods. For December, we're spotlighting mushrooms. Each sheet includes fun facts, nutrition highlights, selection and storage tips, recipe ideas, and classroom and cafeteria activities you can use to promote tasting and participation.
Access the mushroom resource sheet on the Farm to School webpage under “Harvest of the Month.” If you don’t have access to mushrooms near you or want to feature another local food item, check out past Harvest of the Month resource pages on the OSPI Farm to School webpage under the Harvest of the Month drop-down menu.
For support sourcing Harvest of the Month items, email farmtocnp@k12.wa.us.
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Farm to School
 Seventy-six school districts across Washington state actively participated in Farm to School Month activities, demonstrating a strong commitment to connecting students with local agriculture. These initiatives promote healthy eating, support local farmers, and provide hands-on learning experiences that highlight the importance of sustainable food systems.
By engaging in Farm to School programs, districts foster stronger community ties and ensure that students have access to fresh, nutritious meals while learning where their food comes from. This statewide effort reflects Washington’s dedication to cultivating healthy futures for children and supporting local economies.
Interested in strengthening your district’s Farm to School Program? Reach out to the Farm to School specialist for guidance, resources, and support to help your program thrive.
Youth Garden Grant
Application Deadline: December 12, 2025
Competitive Grant Awarding $750 plus gardening hand tools and seeds. KidsGardening is accepting applications for the 2026 Youth Garden Grant. This program supports school and youth garden projects that engage children in hands-on learning, environmental stewardship, and community building. Up to 50 programs will be awarded this grant.
Eligibility: Any organization in the United States or US territories planning a new or improving an existing garden program that serves at least 15 youth between the ages of 0 and 18 years old and received less than $10,000 in grants for the garden program in 2025 so far.
For more information and to apply, visit Youth Garden Grant 2026 - KidsGardening.
Questions? Need help finding local foods or adapting resources? Contact farmtocnp@k12.wa.us.
Apply Now for a USDA Farm to School Grant
This grant is designed to increase the availability of local foods in Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs) and connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for CNP meals. Grants can be used to launch new farm to CNP programs or expand existing efforts.
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Application Deadline: December 5, 2025
Competitive Grants from $100,000 to $500,000 (25% matching funds required)
Objective: To improve access to local foods in eligible CNP sites through comprehensive farm to CNP programming that includes local sourcing and agricultural education efforts.
Schools must apply in a partnership with at least two other organizations.
For more information: FY 2026 Farm to School Grant Program | Food and Nutrition Service
For USDA Grant Office Hours: USDA Farm to School Grant Team Office Hours
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