The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently highlighted its Farm to School program's efforts to provide relief to schools during the past year, according to a Jan 19 press release.
In an effort to establish a national impact, the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) implemented initiatives such as the Farm to School program to help schools fulfill students' nutritional requirements amid supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It's no secret that supply chain issues experienced across the country have created challenges with food accessibility," the press release states, "Rising COVID-19 cases along with severe weather complicated the flow of goods and services, yet USDA programs have responded with creative solutions to ensure Americans had access to healthy foods.”
The FNS also sought to expand economic opportunities for farmers and promote the purchase of local and domestic agricultural products.
The FNS granted $12 million in Farm to School funding to 176 organizations serving 6,800 schools in July 2021.
For students at Mountain View High School in West Virginia, the grant provided an opportunity to work at a mobile store called "Co Growcery," which drives around towns selling fresh produce to residents.
The Farm to School grant also assisted kindergarten students at Daleville Community Schools in Indiana in learning how to plant fruit and vegetable seeds by providing students with greenhouses to care for plants year-round.
Additionally, USDA initiatives such as the Farm to School program ensured that nutritional meals were provided to over 1.4 million children in 2021.
