Eighteen local education agencies (LEAs) were recently awarded Farm-to-School Rapid Response funding by the Farm to School Coalition of North Carolina. The funding is intended to support urgent needs and long-term capacity building for local food purchasing for school meals and local food educational programming in ways that increase the skills, knowledge, and connection to local foods for children and their families.

The following North Carolina LEAs were awarded $4,000 each in Farm-to-School Rapid Response funding:

  • Alexander County Schools
  • Avery County Schools
  • Brunswick County Schools
  • Buncombe County Schools
  • Caldwell County Schools
  • Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
  • Durham Public Schools
  • Franklin County Schools
  • Halifax County Schools
  • Jackson County Schools
  • Lenoir County Public Schools
  • Orange County Schools
  • Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools
  • Pender County Schools
  • Richmond County Schools
  • Rockingham County Schools
  • Transylvania County Schools
  • Yancey County Schools

The Farm to School Coalition of North Carolina acknowledges the financial, logistical, and equity challenges this pandemic has created or magnified and the tireless efforts of school nutrition professionals and educators to meet the nutritional and educational needs of our children during Coronavirus (COVID-19) related school closures. The Coalition is providing the funding, with support from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation of North Carolina, to assist schools and school nutrition programs in building farm to school capacity, believing that farm to school is a valuable contribution to the health and well-being of our kids and our communities.

The Farm to School Coalition of North Carolina brings together a dedicated group of farm-to-school stakeholders in collaboration to expand and strengthen farm-to-school initiatives across the state. The Coalition is led by partner agencies and organizations including the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, N.C. Cooperative Extension, N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, N.C. Department of Public Instruction, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, FoodCorps North Carolina and the School Nutrition Association of North Carolina.

More information on the Coalition and the Farm-to-School Rapid Response Funding may be found on the Farm to School Coalition of North Carolina website.