Farm to Faculty Act Will Assist Youngster Vitamin Applications and Native Meals Techniques in Rebuilding From Pandemic

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WASHINGTON, April 23, 2021 / PRNewswire / – A non-partisan group of Senate leaders introduced the Farm to School Act of 2021 to help schools, farmers and communities recover fairly from the pandemic. The bill sponsored by senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) will expand the funding and programmatic scope of the hugely successful USDA Farm to School Grant programThis ensures that more communities have a competitive chance of benefiting from the program. A similar bill was introduced in the House in March. The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applaud these efforts to support local food systems and child nutrition programs at this critical time.

A non-partisan group of congressional leaders introduced the Farm to School Act of 2021.

“The Farm to School Act of 2021 couldn’t come at a more necessary time. When the pandemic began, school nutritionists, educators and local food producers were some of the first to advocate the continued care of children and families. Those included in this bill Action will provide them with much-needed resources to continue their work once we emerge from the pandemic while helping to build a more resilient and equitable food system, “he said Karen Spangler, Policy Director at the National Farm to School Network.

“Food is fundamental to our very existence, and learning about food should be an integral part of any student’s educational experience. Over the past 15 years, farm-to-school programs have helped thousands of schools provide students with real, healthy food These programs were also powerful economic drivers, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in income for family farmers each year, according to the recent USDA Farm to School Census, “he said Wes King, Senior Policy Specialist with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

The USDA farm to school Grant program provides competitive funding to assist schools in sourcing local food for school meals and to support activities such as school gardens. The program was created and comprised by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 $ 5 million in annual mandatory funding. Today USDA has awarded over $ 52 million Farm to School Grants fund 719 projects reaching 21 million students in 47,000 schools. The Farm to School Act of 2021 will:

  • Permanently increase the mandatory annual funding $ 15 million;;
  • Increase the maximum grant on $ 500,000;;
  • Prioritizing proposals that involve prospective, experienced and socially disadvantaged farmers and serve schools with high needs;
  • Comprehensive care and education, summer food service and websites for after-school programs; and,
  • Improve local schools’ access to traditional food.

The NFSN and NSAC urge members of Congress to work for the well-being of the country’s children, family farmers and food producers by fully supporting the Farm to School Act of 2021.

Press contact: Anna Mullen, NFSN Communications Director, [email protected]

Associated files
F2SAct2021-FactSheet.pdf

Related images
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Farm to School Act
A non-partisan group of congressional leaders introduced the Farm to School Act of 2021.

SOURCE National Farm-to-School Network