October is National Farm to School Month, celebrating programs that connect farmers with students. This year’s theme is “From Soil to Sea: Nourishing People and Planet.”
The goal is to get nutritious food from farmers in the region into local schools and educate children about where their food comes from, Jenny Lester Moffitt, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), said.
“(It) celebrates the fact that we’ve got farmers who are growing great food and also educates kids about where that food is grown,” Moffitt said. “Very importantly, it’s about getting healthy food into schools.”
Through the USDA, 67,000 schools now have farm-to-school programs.
On Oct. 1, the USDA announced it would spend $1.7 billion from its Commodity Credit Corp. (CCC) to support the purchase of local and regionally produced food. The agency said this funding builds on the success of its Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program. That program initially received $200 million, by adding $500 million for schools and $200 million for child care facilities participating in the national Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
Notably, this is the first time CCC funds have been specifically allocated to support CACFP facilities, according to the National CACFP Sponsors Association.
“We know that the food a child has in school is often their healthiest food that they have all day,” Moffitt said. “When the food comes from a local farm, it’s a win-win for our communities. It’s a win for our kids who get healthy food, and it’s a win for our farmers, who have local markets that they get to sell to.”
She said that when children learn more about how their food is grown, that connection spurs a lifelong interest in healthy food and healthy eating.
There are many ways to get involved. Parents can reach out to their children’s schools to see if they have a Farm-to-School program. Local farmers can look up ways to get involved. Visit a nearby farm to learn about what’s being harvested locally. And if people participate in Farm-to-School month, Moffitt said they should post about it on social media to raise awareness.
“When a kid is hungry, they can’t learn, [and] they can’t focus. They’re thinking about their hunger,” she said. “Ensuring that kids have access to nutritious food, and to food in general, is really important for everyone, and for all of us, in society.”
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