National Farm to School Month observed

CHICAGO — October is National Farm to School Month, a chance for communities to celebrate food education, school gardens and healthy lunches.

Nearly 700 schools in Indiana participate in farm to school activities, with 80% offering locally grown foods on the menu, according to the Farm to School Census.

Twenty-eight percent of Indiana schools have edible gardens on site.

Farmers can get involved during National Farm to School Month by:

• Connecting with local schools and offering to conduct a classroom session, or offering to host a visit to their farm.

• Becoming a classroom pen pal. Farm field trips are great, but stories and photos from the farm are the next best thing.

• Promoting National Farm to School Month on their farm or farmers market booth with posters and other materials, which can be downloaded at farmtoschool.org.

Coinciding with Farm to School Month, the Biden-Harris administration has invested $50 million in grants for schools to invest in new food service equipment.

“Ensuring access to nutritious school meals is one of the best investments we can make in our fight to end child hunger and improve health,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“As we celebrate the valiant efforts of school nutrition professionals across the country this National School Lunch Week, USDA is doubling down on our commitment to helping schools overcome challenges including higher food prices and continued supply chain disruptions.

“These additional resources will allow schools to provide healthy, appealing meals by meeting vital food service equipment needs.”

Learn more at www.farmtoschool.org.