Meet 8 recipients of the USDA’s 2024 farm-to-school grants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it has awarded a record-breaking $14.3 million in farm-to-school grant funding as part of its Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program.

This year, the grants will support 54 projects in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico and reach 1.9 million children, according to the department.

Here's a look at some of this year’s recipients and how they plan to use their funding.

1. Alaska Gateway School District

Located in rural Tok, Alaska, the Alaska Gateway School District is using its close to $50,000 in grant funding to increase the amount of locally grown produce on its menus. The project aims expand the amount of growing space at the district and establish a food preservation system.

2. Fiery Ginger Farm

Using its $99,571 in grant funding, Fiery Ginger Farm (Spork Food Hub) in West Sacramento will partner with nearby Robla School District and Natomas Unified School District to increase students’ access to local ingredients.

Students will visit the farm to get a hands-on look at agriculture and how it feeds their community. In addition, Spork Food Hub staff will meet with nutrition staff to identify needs and opportunities for local procurement.

The Hub will also work with over 30 partner farms to set up forward crop planning sessions to help fill school food procurement needs. BIPOC and female farmers will receive additional training in crop planning and serving the wholesale marketplace through the Hub to help them with accessing the school food market and ensuring financial sustainability for their operations.

3. School District of Manatee County

As part of its project, the School District of Manatee County in Bradenton, Florida will use its $37,250 in grant funding to establish school gardens where students will receive hands-on educational opportunities. Food grown in the garden will then be used in the school cafeteria and students will participate in taste tests and recipe creation using the produce.

4. Boston Area Gleaners, Inc.

Students in Eastern Massachusetts will enjoy more locally sourced ingredients in their school meals thanks to the USDA providing Boston Area Gleaners with $96,684 in farm to school grant funding. As part of its project, the organization will work with representatives from school districts to discuss which local foods would be desirable, usable and culturally appropriate for their district. They will then develop order schedules that best fit each community and deliver the produce.

Once at the school, the produce will be used in taste tests for students and Boston Area Gleaners will provide farm profiles for discussion.

Several metrics will be tracked throughout the course of the project, including the number of students impacted, with both servings of local produce and agricultural education

5. Montana Office of Public Instruction

The Montana Office of Public Instruction was awarded $339,958 to partner with Montana Team Nutrition and other organizations to lead a statewide “Foraging the 406" Initiative which aims to establish direct purchasing routes between producers and schools.

The project will focus on increasing access to local foods and farm-to-school education in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education eligible schools and will develop a network of regionally based “Farm to School Ambassadors.”

In addition, the project will include establishing a wholesale local food directory and online map to increase local procurement throughout the state.

6. Olean City School District

The USDA has awarded Olean City School District in Olean, New York just under $100,000 in funding to develop a new farm to school curriculum for its entire student body (Pre-k through grade 12) which will include tower gardens, a greenhouse, and field trips to different types of farms. IN addition, students will participate in a garden club, chef contest, agricultural science fair and farmers market.

The school nutrition team will increase the percentage of local food purchased to 30% and will host monthly taste tests to garner student feedback on the new local offerings. In addition, the district will set up a composting program at all four of its cafeterias to help manage waste.

7. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

Several schools from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Nespelem, Washington were awarded $43,125 to partner with the Colville Tribe’s Fish and Wildlife Department to create and implement an action plan to incorporate fresh fish and game meat from the new meat processing facility into its school menus. In addition, the action plan will include the creation and/or expansion of educational opportunities between the meat processing facility and the schools.

8. DC Central Kitchen, Inc. 

As part of its project, nonprofit DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) will use its $100,000 in grant funding to convert 12 low-income DC Public Schools from a traditional foodservice model to a model that focuses on the incorporation of local sourcing and agriculture education. Over the course of the next two school years, students at these schools will enjoy wider access to local produce and farm-to-school education.