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June 2021
Last Chance to Register! June 23 Community Gathering
A racially just and equitable food system is possible – but it's going to take all of us to get us there. Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, June 23 for a virtual Community Gathering to dig into how farm to school and farm to early care and education can be part of the work to shift power and cultivate justice in our food system. Gain new tools and skills for shifting power in your work, learn from movement leaders who are building power through community food efforts, and connect with fellow food systems partners from across the country as we grow stronger together. Join one or all of the sessions and invite your friends! Registration is free and open to all, no prior experience with farm to school needed. Learn more and register for sessions below or on our website.
1-2:30pm ET
Training Session: Shifting Power in the Food System
Register here
3-4:30pm ET
Movement Leader Perspectives: Farm to School Strategies for Building Power
Register here
3-4:30pm ET
Movement Leader Perspectives: Local and Values-Based Procurement from Farm to Cafeteria
Register here
7-8pm ET
Film Screening & Discussion: Food Crossing Lines
Register here
Our Call to Action
National Farm to School Network has a vision of a racially just food system for all, and we work to achieve that vision through farm to school – the ways kids eat, grow, and learn about food in schools and early care and education settings. Two years ago, we embarked on a systems mapping process to sketch out the next chapter of farm to school’s evolution. After receiving input from our network of partners and members, one thing was very clear: Inequities based on race persist, and we will not achieve a racially just food system if we do not dismantle these inequities.
So we’ve issued a Call to Action for ourselves and for our entire food system: By 2025, 100% of communities will hold power in a racially just food system.
Read more about our Call to Action in our new narrative resource and share how you’re committing to shifting power and cultivating a racially just food system.
June 29 Coffee Chat – Pride: Growing in Community
In the spirit of Pride Month, join us on June 29 at 3pm ET for a coffee chat conversation on Facebook Live with Krystal Oriadha, our Senior Director of Programs & Policy, and Ashley Rodgers, Owner & Operator of Rodgers Greens and Roots Farm, chatting about the intersectionality of farming and being part of the LGBTQ+ community. Ashley is one of the youngest woman organic farmers in Georgia, owning and operating her farm in Douglasville, Georgia. RSVP here to join live or to watch the
recording later.
Special thanks to National Co+Op Grocers for their support of National Farm to School Network, which helps make this Coffee Chat series possible.
RESOURCES: How Funding in the American Rescue Plan Can Strengthen Farm to ECE
The latest round of federal stimulus funding - the American Rescue Plan - will be infusing billions of dollars through the early care and education sector and food and agriculture systems in the coming months. On our blog, read a summary of emerging funding streams and their immediate opportunities to strengthen farm to early care and education efforts. This information was first presented on a webinar in May that National Farm to School Network co-hosted with Policy Equity Group and Food Research and Action Center.
WEBINAR RECORDING: Driving Sustainable Farm to School Initiatives Through the Farm to School Institute Model
Since 2010, Vermont FEED has hosted the Northeast Farm to School Institute, a unique year-long professional learning opportunity for school, district, and early childhood teams to build robust, sustainable farm to school programs. With a USDA Farm to School grant, Institute staff initiated a longitudinal evaluation to understand key components to farm to school staying power and how the Institute model creates a foundation for sustainability. On this webinar recording, learn about this impactful training model, the evidence base behind its design, the key components of farm to school sustainability, and how the Institute is being adapted across the country.
Vote for Krystal! Emerging Leaders in Food & Ag
Emerging Leaders in Food & Ag is honoring and building a community of up-and-coming professionals across the agriculture supply chain to ensure that the enormous challenges facing food and agriculture today are addressed by a new generation of innovative, engaged leaders. We are proud that Krystal Oriadha, Senior Director of Programs and Policy at National Farm to School Network, has been nominated as an Emerging Leader who has shown passion and dedication to food systems change - and she needs your vote! Help Krystal be named an Emerging Leader in Food & Ag by voting today!
Celebrating Juneteenth
In celebration of Juneteenth, National Farm to School Network honors the rich history, resilience & joy found in the Black diaspora. We also celebrate Juneteenth officially becoming a recognized federal holiday. But our country still has a long way to go towards realizing its claims of freedom & justice for all. We honor those in the Black community who have fought, sacrificed, and died for justice. We honor all those who are and have been visionaries, trailblazers, truth-tellers, caretakers, and witnesses in the ongoing demands for justice. Read more.
Celebrating Pride Month
Happy Pride Month from National Farm to School Network! As we celebrate the global contributions of our LGBTQ2S+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, Two Spirit) family members, classmates, coworkers, neighbors, and ancestors, this month and always, we acknowledge the importance of holding our communities in love and working together to inspire deeper connection. As an organization committed to cultivating a just and equitable food system, we celebrate the vital influences that all families, chosen or otherwise, have on the work we do. Read more.
Our Call to Action: By 2025, 100% of communities will hold power in a racially just food system. Learn more and join us.
