Resource & Action Center
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Farm to school is taking place in all 50 states, D.C. and U.S. Territories! Select a location from the list below to learn more or contact a Core Partner.
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Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation are responsible for 27% of total U.S emissions. Local procurement is one solution and some organizations like food hubs are taking practical steps by gathering and redistributing local foods or food distributors/schools that value local foods. Let’s support the local economy and the environment while delivering fresh, farm-to-school food to ALL students, every day... Read More
As well as instilling a love of curiosity and learning in our kids around academic and vocational subjects, what if we empowered them a reflection of the cultural diversity and the knowledge and skills of how their food gets to them via programs like scratch cooking and school gardens?... Read More
The people who grow, harvest, process, and prepare our food shouldn’t have to struggle to put food on their own tables. Yet, a majority of the 2.5 million farm workers in the United States lack wage and safety protections, often exposed to harmful chemicals and dangerous working conditions. We must build relationships between producers, workers, and consumers to enrich our communities. Read More
As well as instilling a love of curiosity and learning in our kids around academic and vocational subjects, what if we empowered them with something else too? A reflection of cultural diversity and an understanding of how their food gets to them via programs like scratch cooking and school gardens? Read More
We must invest in the salaries, equipment, training, and operational support that school food professionals like food directors, nutrition experts, cafeteria managers and the folks who serve food, and see on a daily basis what kids choose to eat, and what gets chosen for them. Read More
35 million tons of food waste is sent to landfills each year, where it decomposes to produce methane, a gas that is damaging to the environment. Getting food scraps into compost transforms food waste into healthy soil that can support new plants and crops. Composting can also create green jobs and liberate communities from toxic waste. Read More
And here we are back at the farm to begin all over again. We have come full circle, living our values as we navigate through the food system. Done right we can bring all the resources back to the farm, so nothing is wasted, nothing goes into landfills and the cycle starts again.
Check out our Action Pack with information and suggestions for taking action for a general audience
Feeding Kids Is Common Sense. Maintaining nutrition quality while actually reducing costs per meal. Read more here
No stigma for kids without the right paperwork. In schools without universal meal service, students who do not have paperwork to verify their income are often singled out for unpaid meal debt or skip meals due to stigma. Read more here
The 2010 “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids” Act, made school meals –pre-pandemic– the healthiest kids eat all day. CNN summary here and the original JAMA article here. Rigorous examination of 47 peer-reviewed studies found benefits to kids, including improved diet quality, food security, and academic performance
Leverage the Power of School Food Purchasing. Child nutrition programs across the country exercise collective purchasing power on a massive scale. Find out how here
Real Food, Real Ingredients, Real Careers When nutrition professionals have the resources they need to cook from scratch, they can provide nourishing meals with more fresh, unprocessed ingredients. Find out more about all the benefits of scratch cooking from The Lunch Box, from the Chef Ann Foundation
Enrich the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by enhancing food purchasing and education practices. Read more about the benefits of Farm to School
Jennifer Gaddis talks about the centrality of racial justice organizing to the success of the food movement, and the stunning connections between school food and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and uprisings against white supremacy in the United States. School Food Politics: A Conversation with Jennifer Gaddis, author of “The Labor of Lunch” Link to all National Farm to School Network Fact Sheets & Resources
Check out our Action Pack with information and suggestions for taking action for students
Enrich the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by enhancing food purchasing and education practices. Read more about the benefits of Farm to School
Jennifer Gaddis talks about the centrality of racial justice organizing to the success of the food movement, and the stunning connections between school food and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and uprisings against white supremacy in the United States. School Food Politics: A Conversation with Jennifer Gaddis, author of “The Labor of Lunch”
School gardens are an integral part of farm to school programs. They offer great educational opportunities as hands-on, interdisciplinary classrooms for students of all ages. Read more about Starting and Maintaining a School Garden
When we say school nutrition professionals are heroes, we mean it! That’s why we celebrate them every spring with the annual School Lunch Hero Day. Join schools across the country who are recognizing the difference these team members make for every child who comes through their cafeteria. Read more about how to celebrate School Lunch Hero Day by School Nutrition Association
Link to all National Farm to School Network Fact Sheets & Resources
