Five urban schools awarded $100K Farm to School grant

Charleston County School District (CCSD) has been awarded a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to offer Farm to School programs at five schools. It is the first Farm to School grant awarded to CCSD.

The grant will support the USDA Farm to School objective of improving access to local foods in five eligible schools – Chicora Elementary, Mitchell Elementary, Sanders-Clyde Elementary, Meeting Street Elementary at Brentwood, and Meeting Street Elementary at Burns – through a comprehensive program that includes school gardens, farm field trips, local food procurement, and agricultural education efforts.

The district is excited to partner with a group of innovative community organizations. Partners include:

• The Green Heart Project, a local non-profit that provides Farm to School education throughout the Charleston area;
• Fresh Future Farm, a nonprofit urban farm, grocery store, and event space in the Chicora/Cherokee neighborhood of North Charleston; and
• GrowFood Carolina, a project of the Coastal Conservation League.