Schools Receive Farm To School Grant

$99,000 for training, buying equipment, and increasing awareness

— The School District will provide more locally grown food for students, thanks to a $99,000 federal grant.

The money will be spent training kitchen staff, buying kitchen equipment and educating growers, students, teachers and the community about the program, said Dana Smith, the district’s sustainability coordinator.

The district launched the Farm to School program in 2005 at Washington and Asbell elementary schools. The program expanded to other elementary schools.

Adam Simmons, food service director, said the program next year will include middle and junior high schools.

The goal is for 30 percent to 40 percent of the produce served in the cafeterias to be locally grown, Simmons said.

All of the milk is produced in and around Northwest Arkansas and most of the chicken is raised local, Simmons said.

The grant will allow the district to establish a group of farmers to grow produce specifically for the school district, he said.

“We want to connect farmers and schools to start the conversation about sustainability,” he added.

The district also will develop a program model that any school district can use, Simmons said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded two grants in the state. The other was to the Lawrence County School District in Walnut Ridge which will coordinate efforts with districts in northeast Arkansas to combine buying power and attract new producers, according to a news release from the agriculture department.

Overall, more than $4.5 million in grants was awarded to 68 projects in 37 states and the District of Columbia. The grants will serve more than 3,200 schools and 1.75 million students, according to the release.

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