In order to help promote access to locally-sourced food in schools, a 2018 USDA Farm-to-School Grant was recently awarded to the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity.
According to a news release from the organization, ISDH will receive $98,468 over the next two years for the State Department of Agriculture’s ‘Indiana Grown’ program which aims to promote regular access to Indiana-sourced foods in school cafeterias and increase participation in other farm-to-school activities.
Director of the ISDH Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity Lindsey Bouza reports that providing locally-sourced foods in schools helps to keep children healthy because they’re getting food at its freshest. She added that an increasing number of Hoosiers are personally choosing to purchase Indiana-sourced produce for a variety of reasons including taste, shelf life, food safety and environmental concerns.
As a part of the grant, ISDH will partner with Purdue Extension as well as the Indiana State Departments of Education and Agriculture to create resources for schools, administrators, teachers, parents, farmers, organizations and funding agencies that will help break down the barriers that keep people from seeing locally-sourced food as an option for Hoosier schools.
Officials report that a promotional campaign will be developed to engage each and every one of Indiana’s 583 school food authorities. They added that all farm-to-school programs provided through various agencies will be incorporated into one monthly planner to help schools access more resources.
