With $350,000 in state grant funding available for schools to help access local food sources, Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, said it’s important for North Country districts to apply as part of a statewide effort to bring more New York food into the cafeterias.
The grant funding unveiled by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday is designed to help schools lay the groundwork for future farm-to-school opportunities.
Russell, who chairs the state Assembly Task Force on Food, Farms, and Nutrition, said, “We are building the statewide infrastructure to bring local food into the schools. This funding will go a long way towards creating a sustainable, local supply chain that is nutritious and affordable.”
Schools are encouraged to use the grant funding in creative ways including hiring specialists to train staff on local food procurement or purchasing equipment for food preparation, transportation, or storage. These investments are necessary to enable schools to work better with farmers and utilize their harvest.
Russell has been at the forefront of the effort to bring the bounty of local harvests into New York’s schools. Earlier this year Russell introduced legislation in the state Assembly that would make it easier for schools to purchase food grown by local farmers (A.6182). Russell has also met with school officials, farmers, and food hub experts from across the state - including food service directors from the Jefferson-Lewis BOCES - to begin a dialog on tearing down barriers that keep fresh, local food products out of our schools.
“Giving farmers and schools the ability to collaborate more efficiently is crucial to the health and well-being of our children and economy,” Russell said. “We have an opportunity to give students access to better, more nutritious food while opening up a new market to our farmers with this initiative. I’m excited to be on the forefront of this issue and look forward to furthering policies that will allow this effort to be more widespread.”
For more information on the Farm to School Grant program: http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/RFPS.html
All applicants must register and apply through the Grants Gateway portal (https://grantsgateway.ny.gov/IntelliGrants_NYSGG/module/nysgg/goportal.aspx) and use the Program Identifier "FTSCG."
The deadline to apply is 4:30 p.m. on October 19. Awards will be made in November 2015.