FARM TO SCHOOL RESOURCES
Photo Credit: Kate Blohm via Small Bites Adventure Club
Resource guide for parents
Keeping children healthy & active while school is out
Our Farm to School team has compiled an ongoing list of resources for little ones to stay healthy, active, and learning about good food during these days at home. From read-alouds and virtual field trips to indoor and outdoor learning adventures, this guide includes ideas that are easy, fun, educational…and delicious!
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
The following document is a round-up of Farm to School related grand and funding opportunities. Check back regularly, this list will be kept up-to-date with the latest financial aid information as we find it!
Farm to School, COVID-19, and Health Equity
School Nutrition and Farm to School will continue to support children despite school closures.
Summer Food Service Program in Forsyth County, photo courtesy of University of North Georgia.
Schools across the U.S. are taking precautions to keep children safe as COVID-19, the disease that is caused by coronavirus, continues to spread. However, a concern for many is how will students who usually rely on school meals as a primary source of nutrition get by should schools continue to close. While unexpected school closures can have widespread implications, students who are at risk of food insecurity, or who already experience it, will be the most negatively impacted. Finding solutions to ensure these students have continued access to school food is an utmost concern of health and racial equity.
Georgia Organics would like to thank all the school nutrition professionals who are and will be going the extra mile to ensure that Georgia’s most vulnerable children continue to be fed despite school closures. We encourage other farm to school champions to consider ways you may be able to support your local farmers and your district’s out of school feeding efforts, such as volunteering at meal distribution sites or volunteering on farms. This is a challenging and uncertain time for the world, which demands that we all change behaviors and activities quickly. While making such dramatic changes to protect our students health and well-being, we have the best practices of farm to school programs to show us how to support our communities and strengthen local agriculture and local economies. After all, this is one the highest goals of farm to school.
The USDA is working with schools who have and will be closing to mitigate exposure to COVID-19. Schools that already participate in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or the National School Lunch Program’s Seamless Summer Option (SSO) may continue serving meals during a state of emergency in order to ensure that low-income children continue to have access to meals. Districts may be unaware that USDA program requirements related to SFSP can be waived in the case of unexpected school closures and districts that are not currently enrolled in SFSP or SSO may apply for waivers. Read more about the policies and action being taken to continue providing access to school meals in the midst of COVID-19 here.