By Trevor Lowell, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
Every year the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets Farm to School Program helps hundreds of students, children, educators and care professionals through its three unique grant programs: the Farm to School and Early Childhood Grant, the Community Supported Agriculture Grant, and the Farm to School Vision Grant.
These programs provide a variety of financial and technical support to help advance goals related to food access and nutrition security, agricultural the Agency awarded over $190,000 in grants to 37 organizations throughout the state.
With support from partner organizations, these programs help children and students engage with their local food systems and explore the many ways in which our agricultural systems impact our health, our communities, and our culture. Here’s what Molly Leach, an early childhood education provider in Addison County had to say about the impact of her CSA grant:
“It was such a joy to 'reveal' the CSA goods every Friday morning with the children! It was a really fun way to incorporate counting, colors and shapes. I felt so honored to be able to consistently remind them that this amazing produce was grown by local, community farmers. I felt very proud of that!”