National Farm to School Network Nourishing Kids and Community

Our Vision

The National Farm to School Network envisions a nation in which Farm to School programs are an essential component of strong and just local and regional food systems, ensuring the health of all school children, farms, the environment, economy and communities.

Our Work

Farm to School is broadly defined as a program that connects schools (K-12) and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farmers. Since each Farm to School program is shaped by its unique community and region, the National Farm to School Network does not prescribe or impose a list of practices or products for the Farm to School approach.

At its core, Farm to School is about establishing relationships between local foods and school children. Farm to School programs include (but are not limited to):

• Including local products in school meals-breakfast, lunch, afterschool snacks-and in taste tests, educational tools and classrooms snacks.
• Introducing food-related curriculum development and experiential learning opportunities through school gardens, farm tours, farmer in the classroom sessions, chefs in the classroom, culinary education, educational sessions for parents and community members and visits to farmers' markets.

The National Farm to School Network aims to enable every child to have access to nutritious food while simultaneously benefiting communities and local farmers.

The National Farm to School Network supports the implementation of Farm to School in all 50 states and the District of Columbia through focused work in the following priority areas: 1) policy development; 2) training and technical assistance; 3) information development and dissemination; 4) networking; 5) media and marketing; and 6) research and evaluation.

Our network includes national staff, eight regional lead agencies, 50 state leads who serve as local points of contact for information and resources, and thousands of Farm to School advocates and community leaders from all over the country. Join our network and you will receive our email newsletter. You will also be able to add events and information to our website.

Benefits of Farm to School

• Strengthen children's and communities' knowledge about, and attitudes toward, agriculture, food, nutrition and the environment.
• Increase children's participation in the school meals program and consumption of fruits and vegetables, thereby improving childhood nutrition, reducing hunger, and preventing obesity and obesity-related diseases.
• Benefit school food budgets, after start-up, if planning and menu choices are made consistent with seasonal availability of fresh and minimally processed whole foods.
• Support economic development across numerous sectors and promote job creation.
• Increase market opportunities for farmers, fishers, ranchers, food processors and food manufacturers.
• Decrease the distance between producers and consumers, thus promoting food security while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and reliance on oil.

History

From just a handful of programs in the late 1990's, Farm to School is now operational in more than 10,000 schools spanning all 50 states. Click here for the Chronology of Farm to School.

The National Farm to School Network was founded in 2007 through a year-long collaborative planning process engaging more than 30 organizations across the country. The National Farm to School Network was co-led by staff from the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) and the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute (UEPI) at Occidental College until 2011, under whose guidance and leadership the organization blossomed and grew significantly, providing assistance to Farm to School programming in all 50 states through an expanding national and regional infrastructure and staff. We are thankful to the commitment of the two founding organizations and all individuals who invested time and effort for laying a solid framework for the future of Farm to School programming in the country. In late 2011, the National Farm to School Network became a project of Tides Center.

Click here for a summary of our accomplishments.

Staff

Anupama Joshi
Executive Director & Co-Founder (based in IL)
Tel: 847-917-7292

Mary Stein
Associate Director (Based in MT)
Tel: 406-570-8913

Helen Dombalis
Policy and Strategic Partnerships Director
National Farm to School Network
Tel: 919-247-2537

Chelsey Simpson
Membership and Communications Associate (based in NY)
Cell: 405-684-7608

Tracey Starkovich
Operations Associate (based in Chicago)
National Farm to School Network
Tel: 630-207-3855

Mailing address for all staff:

National Farm to School Network
P.M.B # 104
8770 West Bryn Mawr Ave, Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60631-3515