Assemblyman Fred Thiele (I, D, WF, WE-Sag Harbor) today announced that $1.5 million is available for eligible school districts to support the growth of Farm-to-School programs across New York State ahead of the upcoming school year. The program helps Kindergarten through Grade 12 schools to increase the volume and variety of locally grown and produced food on school menus, improve student health, and educate young people about agriculture. The program also assists the agricultural economy, providing additional business to New York's farmers. Funding for the Farm-to-School program was doubled in the State's 2018-19 Budget and is a key component of the State’s No Student Goes Hungry initiative.

Applicants eligible for the Farm-to-School program include Kindergarten through Grade 12 school food authorities, public schools, charter schools, not-for-profit schools, and other entities participating in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, or the Summer Food Service Program. Entities working with school food authorities and eligible schools are also eligible to apply. The state is seeking proposals that will increase the capacity of schools to procure and serve locally produced food items in school meal programs.

Grant funding of up to $100,000 per project will be awarded for projects such as:

• Employing a local or regional farm to school coordinator;
• Training programs for food service staff to increase knowledge of local procurement and preparation of locally produced food;
• Purchase of equipment needed to increase capacity of school kitchen and food service staff to prepare and serve locally produced food; and
• Capital improvements to support the transport and/or storage of locally produced food.

Since New York launched the Farm-to-School Program in 2015, $1,825,000 has been invested to support 25 Farm-to-School projects benefiting 164 school districts across the state.

All applicants to the Farm-to-School Program must register and apply through Grants Gateway. Proposals must be received by October 1, 2018 by 4 p.m. For more information, contact: William Shattuck at William.McMullen@agriculture.ny.gov. For more information on the Farm-to-School Grant Program, click here.