BOULDER, Colo., May 16, 2024 (Newswire.com)
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The Chef Ann Foundation announced today it has awarded grants totaling $4.8 million to eight groups of local partners through its Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) program, which was launched in October 2023.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, PLANTS aims to strengthen partnerships among community-based school food system stakeholders working to build resilient and equitable K–12 school food supply chains. PLANTS also seeks to expand scratch cooking, which enables schools to incorporate more local foods and build healthier, more culturally inclusive meal programs.
“We received nearly 100 applications from a combined total of 360 organizations representing 123 schools and 38 states and U.S. territories,” Chef Ann Foundation Executive Director of Programs Laura Smith said. “It’s clear that many school districts across the country and their food system partners are eager to collaborate to improve the quality of the food they serve in ways that support their local communities.”
Grant recipient project partnerships:
- Anchorage School District, Rural Alaska Community Action Program, The Alaska Food Company, Copper River Seafood (Alaska) – $595,423
- The Gulf of Maine Research Institute, The South Portland Public School District Food Service Department, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (Maine) – $599,999
- Detroit Public Schools Community District Office of School Nutrition, Keep Growing Detroit, Eastern Market Partnership, The Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network (Michigan) – $600,000
- New Roots Community Farm, Fayette County Schools, Sprouting Farms, West Virginia University’s Center for Resilient Communities (West Virginia) – $598,136
- Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, Montague Area Public Schools, Food Agriculture Research and Manufacturing Accelerator, Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities (Michigan) – $597,683
- North Eastern Washington Educational Service District 101, LINC Foods, Mission West Community Development Partners, Valley School District, CasaCano Farms (Washington) – $598,538
- CommonWealth Kitchen, MA Farm to School, Boston Public School, 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 funds awarded, grantees will receive three years of in-depth technical assistance as well as tools, training, and resources from the Chef Ann Foundation, Kitchen Sync Strategies Collaborative, and National Farm to School Network, and project evaluation support from Center for Nutrition Health and Impact.
“Each project that has received an award represents an incredible array of learning opportunities, not only for the grant recipients but for local food systems everywhere,” said Sunny Baker, Senior Director of Program and Policy Farm to School Network. “What we learn from the PLANTS program will help schools and their communities enact lasting, systemic change that supports the health of kids and the health of our planet.”
Learn more about the Chef Ann Foundation’s PLANTS program and grant recipients here.
Source: Chef Ann Foundation
