By Blake Jackson
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding has announced that the state will provide $600,000 in grants to support farm-to-school programs in 56 schools, school districts, and childhood education centers across 28 counties.
The grants, which range from $2,500 to $15,000, will be used to fund a variety of projects aimed at improving access to healthy, local food and increasing hands-on learning for children in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
According to Secretary Redding, the farm-to-school grants are a solid investment in feeding hungry minds and feeding our future. He said that introducing children to fresh, locally produced food changes their lives and that they introduce their families to new foods and what they have learned about local farmers who produce their food.
The Shapiro Administration is making critical investments in childhood nutrition and agriculture to feed the future of our communities and to broaden opportunities for children to succeed and Pennsylvania farms to prosper, Secretary Redding added.
The funded projects will connect local farmers to schools to supply fresh, in-season products to be served in cafeterias, expanding market opportunities for farmers. Other projects will support school gardens, field trips, and other hands-on agriculture education, enriching early awareness of career opportunities.
Some of the grant recipients include:
- Conewago Valley School District in Adams County
- Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship in Allegheny County
- Apollo-Ridge School District in Armstrong County
- Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries in Bedford County
Photo Credit: farm-to-school
Categories: Pennsylvania, Education