This Week in Farm to School from NFSN and NC

October 16, 2020

This Week in Farm to School

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.

Visit our website

Webinar Recording

CEFS’ Farm to ECE Learning Burst: Fall Gardening

Participants will be able to identify which plants can be successfully grown in fall gardens in North Carolina, identify how to select an appropriate site for planting a fall garden, understand when and how to plant different fall garden crops, and understand different methods of protecting them from frosts or freezes. Watch webinar here.

News

Free School Meals Extended through 2020-21 School Year

The non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Congress for their work to extend all Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) waivers through the end of the 2020/2021 school year. SNA members called for these vital extensions to ease challenges of school meal service during the pandemic and ensure all hungry students can be nourished by school meals. Read more here.

Resources

NC Farm to School Storybooks and Activity Guides

Each storybook tells the story of a NC crop from the farm to the school cafeteria. The activity guide includes activities to use in the classroom and identifies the Standards of Learning they meet. Access and Download Storybooks and Activity Guides here.

National Farm to School Network - Nominate Community Food Champions

October is National Farm to School Month! In celebration of all of those who feed our kids, we're recognizing the invaluable contributions community members across the country make towards keeping kids and families connected to our community food systems. These champions go by many names – farmer, school food hero, neighbor, teacher, early care and education provider, gardener, and more – but they’ve all risen to the call for collaboration, partnership and creativity to feed our nation's kids and support equity and access in the food system.

Who's doing amazing farm to school or farm to ECE work in your community? Nominate them to receive a $500 honorarium and be named a National Farm to School Network Community Food Champion! The first 13 Champions were announced on Wednesday during the National Farm to School Network's Food Justice is Racial Justice Movement Meeting. There's still time to get your nominations in for Round 2! The nomination deadline is Thursday, Oct. 22. More information and details available here.

Join the Farm to School Coalition of North Carolina in celebrating National Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month by crunching into a locally grown fruit or vegetable on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at noon. The N.C. Crunch is an opportunity to taste and learn about North Carolina grown produce. Participants of all ages are invited to crunch!

This event is about uniting together to acknowledge North Carolina agriculture, healthy eating, and our farm to school heroes that grow, deliver, prepare, serve and teach about local produce. Schools, early care and education centers, groups, organizations, agencies, businesses, individuals and families can all participate. If the designated day or time are not convenient, feel free to crunch any time during October. We would like for as many folks to have the opportunity to participate as possible.

A N.C. Crunch Guide has been created with information on sourcing local produce, curriculum connections, and social media and press release templates to help you share your Crunch with the local community, and more. We know that the N.C. Crunch will look different this year–that’s okay! This year’s N.C. Crunch Guide includes tips for crunching during COVID-19.

To learn more and register for the N.C. Crunch, go to https://growing-minds.org/north-carolina-crunch/. Share your N.C. Crunch activities and photos on social media using #NCCrunch2020 and @F2SCoalitionNC.

Grant Opportunities

2021 Youth Garden Grant

Deadline: December 18, 2020

Since 1982, the Youth Garden Grant has supported school and youth educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life for students and their communities. Any nonprofit organization, public or private school, or youth program in the United States or U.S. Territories planning a new garden program or expanding an established one that serves at least 15 youth between the ages of 3 and 18 is eligible to apply. The selection of winners is based on demonstrated program impact and sustainability. Learn more and apply here.

Additional Grant Opportunities

For more grants like this one, please visit our list of available grants for Farm to School Programs in North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic. This list will be updated with grants as we are notified of them.

Please send grant opportunities to Arneisha Smallwood, ansmallw@ncsu.edu, or Tessa Thraves, tes_thraves@ncsu.edu.

Racial Equity Resources

Black Women on Black Food Sovereignty

Webinar Recording

View FoodShare Toronto's conversation featuring four Black women leading the call for Black food sovereignty in Canada, the U.S.A., and the United Kingdom. Hear from the panelists’ uniquely valuable perspectives and experiences on what Black food sovereignty means, why it is important, and how we can collectively work to advance it. View the recording.

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/ resources here.

National Farm to School Network

2020 Movement Meeting: Food Justice is Racial Justice (Recording)

How can we shift power in our communities to create a more just food system? What community capital and resources can help us create systemic change in the ways we grow, prepare and eat food? National Farm to School Network hosted a virtual Movement Meeting on Wednesday, Oct.14 from 1-3pm ET, featuring Karen Washington, food justice activist, with deep conversation and action-oriented reflection on racial justice in the farm to school movement and wider food system.

Find a recording of the webinar, information about their Call to Action, and resources shared during the webinar here. Additional links and resources are in the process of being added - check back soon for more!

Submit an article or resource here

North Carolina Farm to School Storybooks and Activity Guides

ASAP Growing Minds Day by Day Resources

NCDPI Lighting Our Way Forward Guide

CDC Considerations for Learning Gardens

Color of Education Virtual Summit 2020