Yolo Farm to Fork will award up to $5,000 in grants to Yolo County schools (up to $500 per school) that apply and are selected to participate in the “Dig In Yolo” edible school garden program. Funding for the grants was raised at the nonprofit’s Spring Gala event at Park Winters earlier this year.
The grants are available to any public or private school in Yolo County that wants to create or sustain an edible school garden. To apply, download the application (pdf) at https://bit.ly/2lyuQ7u and submit it no later than September 30. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of October.
Andrew Tait, a teacher at West Sacramento’s River City High School, is excited that the grants will be available again this year. “Our program all began with this grant!” Thanks to the two previous Yolo Farm to Fork grants the school was awarded, students have created and sustained a school garden program, a farm-to-fork club, and an on-campus CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) service. “I highly recommend applying for this grant for anyone in Yolo County with an interest in school gardens.”
Yolo Farm to Fork President Suzanne Falzone hopes the grants will allow even more children to experience the benefits of school garden programs. “We are committed to starting and sustaining edible school gardens that connect children and families to the values and benefits of farm-to-table food systems. In the garden, kids learn lifelong food-growing skills that connect with every area of their classroom curriculum, AND they love eating their harvests.”
In addition to offering garden grants and participating in farm-to-fork events in September, the nonprofit will also celebrate Farm to School Month in October, and on November 7th, Mojo’s Lounge and Kitchen428 is partnering with Yolo Farm to Fork to host the fall event, Swirl & Slice: Food, Beer and Wine Walk in Downtown Woodland. Proceeds will benefit Yolo Farm to Fork’s programs.
Yolo Farm to Fork supports school gardens, provides field trips to local farms, and helps students harvest and deliver veggies to their school cafeteria for school meals – especially in schools serving low-income populations that are fighting childhood obesity. More than 10,000 kids benefit from edible school gardens, farm trips, grants, supplies, and other support.
Yolo Farm to Fork recently released a new video at https://bit.ly/2NHMu4L.