BOULDER, CO, May 16, 2024 (Newswire.com) –
The Chef Anne Foundation today announced that it has awarded grants totaling $4.8 million to eight groups of local partners through its Partnership for Local Agriculture and Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) program, launched in October 2023. did.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service’s Healthy Eating Encouragement Initiative, PLANTS is a collaboration between community-based school food system stakeholders committed to building resilient and equitable K-12 school food supply chains. The aim is to strengthen partnerships. PLANTS also aims to expand scratch cooking, which allows schools to incorporate more local ingredients and build healthier and culturally inclusive meal programs.
“We received nearly 100 applications from a total of 360 organizations representing 123 schools and 38 states and U.S. territories,” said Laura Smith, Executive Director of Programs at the Ann Chef Foundation. “It is clear that many school districts and their food system partners across the country are eager to work together to improve the quality of food served in a way that supports local communities.”
Grant recipient project partnership:
- Anchorage School District, Alaska Rural Community Action Program, Alaska Food Company, Copper River Seafoods (Alaska) – $595,423
- Gulf of Maine Research Institute, South Portland Public School District Food Service Department, Maine Coast Fishermen Association (Maine) – $599,999
- Detroit Public Schools Community District School Nutrition Office, Growing Detroit, Eastern Market Partnership, Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network (Michigan) – $600,000
- New Roots Community Farm, Fayette County Schools, Sprouting Farm, West Virginia University Resilient Community Center (West Virginia) – $598,136
- Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, Montague Area Public Schools, Food and Agriculture Research and Manufacturing Accelerator, Infrastructure Center for Resilient Communities (Michigan) – $597,683
- Northeast Washington Educational Service District 101, LINC Foods, Mission West Community Development Partners, Valley School District, Casakano Farms (Washington) – $598,538
- CommonWealth Kitchen, MA Farm to School, Boston Public Schools, Portland Public Schools (New England) – $600,000
- Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Council Bluffs Community School District, Iowa St. University Extension and Outreach, Farm Table Delivery (Iowa) – $599,652
In addition to the awarded funds, grant recipients will receive tools, training and resources from the Chef Anne Foundation, the Kitchen Sink Strategies Collaborative, and the National Farm to School Network, plus three years of funding. Receive extensive technical assistance and project evaluation support. Nutrition Health and Impact Center.
“Each award-winning project represents an incredible learning opportunity, not just for grant recipients, but for local food systems everywhere,” said Program and Policy Farm to School Network said Sonny Baker, senior director. “What we learn from the PLANTS program will help schools and their communities make lasting systemic changes that support the health of our children and the health of our planet.”
Learn more about Chef Anne Foundation’s PLANTS program and grantees here.
Source: Chef Anne Foundation
