Feed My School for a Week

The following description is a summary of our farm to school plan funded by a 2014 USDA Farm to School Program grant: The Georgia Department of Agriculture, partnering with the Georgia Department of Education, launched the “Feed My School for a Week” pilot program during the 2011‐2012 school year. Three school districts, all located within geographically diverse regions of Georgia, were served 75‐100 percent Georgia grown lunches for five consecutive days. During those days, students, faculty, and staff learned where their food comes from, the nutritional value of various foods, and how to make healthy choices for the rest of their lives. Every school hosted farm field trips and agriculture field days during the week. Student projects included school gardens, fresh produce taste testing, and agriculture art and essay contests. The pilot program was an unqualified success! Funding from this grant will allow us, within the next two years, to expand our program by lengthening the pilot schools’ programs from one week to one month, and choosing five new schools to participate.