District Five awarded second consecutive USDA Farm to School grant
November 19, 2015
IRMO,SC – Lexington-Richland School District Five has been awarded its second consecutive U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm to School grant, totaling nearly $100,000.
The federal agency announced Nov. 18 that District Five is one of 74 projects spanning 39 states receiving support through the USDA Farm to School Program. The national initiative is one of the tools and resources USDA offers to help schools successfully serve healthier meals and educate students on where food comes from.
“This $99,861 grant is a great honor and testimony to the work we’ve done with the first grant in District Five,” said Todd Bedenbaugh, the district’s student nutrition director. “It is extremely rare to be a two-time recipient of a grant of this magnitude, but we credit the schools which have really embraced Farm to School. This will allow us to implement new programs and continue the work that we started when we announced the first grant in 2013. We’re grateful, and excited about all the benefits that will come from this.”
Since its launch in 2013, the district’s program has provided more local ingredients for school meals, summer training for cafeteria staff, teacher and staff field trips to local farms, and upgrades to several school gardens. Cooking demonstrations, the district’s Pronto Taco food truck and other initiatives also have been supported through the district’s program, dubbed Farm to Five. District Five has also received several grants to supplement its Farm to Five initiatives, including Fuel Up to Play 60 grants and a $30,000 BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation grant.
The new “Farm to Five: Communities Thrive” grant will begin in 2016, with a focus on gardens and greenhouses at three schools. Students at Leaphart Elementary, Irmo Middle School and Spring Hill High School will start crops of kale, broccoli and cucumber seeds in greenhouses and gardens. Nutrition education in partnership with Clemson Extension will be used to strengthen the connection between garden-based learning experiences and nutrition for students. At the Center for Advanced Technical Studies, students will transplant seedlings grown by elementary, middle and high school students in other District Five schools, and harvested crops from The Center will be incorporated into school menus.
“We will also create a mobile processing facility. It will be modeled after the ‘Crop Stop’ led by Clemson Extension as a way to preserve the shelf life of fresh produce for use in school cafeterias,” said District Five Farm to School Coordinator Susan Bowles. “There will be programs, activities…and many more ways to strengthen the connection students have with fresh food and local farms. Like the first grant, this second federal grant will touch and reach students all across our district.”
The national Farm to School Program is part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which authorized USDA to provide grants and technical assistance to help schools gain better access to local foods. Agency officials say the grants help schools respond to demand for locally sourced foods and increase market opportunities for producers and food businesses, including: food processors, manufacturers and distributors. Nationally, grants will also be used to support agriculture and nutrition education efforts such as school gardens, field trips to local farms and cooking classes.
“Farm to school programs work—for schools, for producers, and for communities,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “By serving nutritious and locally grown foods, engaging students in hands-on lessons, and involving parents and community members, these programs provide children with a holistic experience that sets them up for a lifetime of healthy eating. With early results from our Farm to School Census indicating schools across the nation invested nearly $600 million in local products, farm to school also provides a significant and reliable market for local farmers and ranchers.”
