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Farm to School Program

Connecting children to the food they eat

RECENT NEWS

Sign up for The Beet

The Beet is the Farm to School Mid-Atlantic region’s newsletter, reaching out to our partners in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. Monthly, The Beet is a place where we can share resources, highlight successes and learn from our challenges as we work to strengthen and grow the farm to school movement locally, regionally and nationally.

Learn more: Sign up for The Beet

The Issue

Farm to school efforts connect schools with nearby farms for the benefit of children and a sustainable food system. Farm to school programs can include: buying and featuring farm fresh foods in classrooms and cafeterias, adopting nutrition and agriculture-based curriculum, and providing experiential learning opportunities through farm visits, gardening and recycling programs.

Learn more: National Farm to School website

 

The Food Trust Solution

In August 2007, the Community Food Security Coalition chose eight agencies to coordinate farm to school efforts across the nation. The Food Trust is the Farm to School Network's Mid-Atlantic Region Lead Agency.

The Food Trust is the hub for farm to school activities in the mid-Atlantic region, which encompasses Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. In this role, The Food Trust provides resources and support for farm to school efforts in the region through priority areas of policy, information systems, media and marketing, networking opportunities as well as training and technical assistance for individuals working on farm to school issues.

Kindergarten Initiative

In addition, The Food Trust’s Kindergarten Initiative, an early intervention model that builds healthy eating patterns for children and their families while supporting local agriculture, is a successful example of farm to school efforts.

Philadelphia Farm to School Program

This collaborative project is working to dramatically expand the farm to school movement in the School District of Philadelphia, improving nutrition and health for thousands of urban youth, while increasing the economic viability of regional farms. The project, which expanded from 5 to 25 schools this year, is bringing fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables into school meals for up to 45,000 students. The project is a partnership between the School District of Philadelphia, Fair Food, the Common Market, PUFFA and The Food Trust.

Learn more: Contact Alyssa Moles.