ALBANY, N.Y. – Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES and the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties are receiving state funding for Farm-to-School projects.
The Farm-to-School program allows districts to buy food produced locally.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says 16 projects across the state will receive a share of $1.5 million in funding to increase the use of farm products in schools.
"This is a win-win that provides students with nutritious meals while also strengthening New York farms," Cuomo said. "I'm proud to see the growth of this initiative that will also help encourage healthy habits in every corner of this great state."
BOCES has been awarded $100,000 to expand the Farm-to-School program to 15 districts and benefit more than 9,000 students. The money will also be used to help schools develop local food implantation plans and develop infrastructure to facilitate these purchases.
The cooperative extension will use their $100,000 in funding to establish pilot Farm-to-School programs in five school districts. This will provide more than 4,000 students access to locally grown produce and other food.
See the full list of projects below:
Western New York
• Buffalo City School District: $70,812 for the Buffalo Farm-to-School is on the Move! project, which will integrate Farm-to-School activities across the cafeteria, classroom, and community by using a food truck to serve school lunches made with local ingredients to16 high schools on a rotating basis.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany County: $89,911 for the From Carrots to Curriculum project, which will work with 6,584 students in12 school districts to create a sustainable Farm-to-School program.
• Forestville School District: $100,000 for the Farm-to-School: Community/School Engagement project. Forestville Central School District will partner with Pine Valley Central School District to serve four schools, benefiting 996 students and 18 farmers.
• Frontier Central School District: $88,459 for Frontier Farm-to-School Grant project, Frontier Central School District will serve as a central kitchen for 3 districts in Erie County to process, freeze and store local farm products. Potential to benefit 5,000 students in 3 school districts.
Finger Lakes
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Seneca County: $96,824 for the Seneca County Farm-to-School project, which will build on existing Harvest of the Month and NY Thursdays practices and ensure Farm-to-School activities for 3,287 students in four districts.
Southern Tier
• Broome-Tioga BOCES: $100,000 for the Broome-Tioga BOCES Farm-to-School Warehouse Initiative, which will develop a central warehouse to alleviate a distribution barrier and significantly increase New York State procurement for 31,290 students in 15 school districts.
North Country
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County: $99,849 for the Farm-to-School launch in Lewis County. The project will allow the hire of a Farm-to-School Coordinator to implement the 3 C's of Farm-to-School: the cafeteria, the classroom, and the community, benefiting 3,957 students in five school districts.
• St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES: $99,980 for the St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Farm-to-School Program. The project provides value-added processing, technical assistance, and product distribution to 21 schools benefiting 25,000 students.
Mohawk Valley
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties: $100,000 for the Local Foods - Healthy Schools project. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties will collaborate with Capital Region BOCES to develop and implement a Pilot Farm-to-School program in five school districts to benefit 4,018 students.
• Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES: $100,000 for the OHM Farm-to-School: Increasing Capacity and School Engagement project, which will work with districts to help them develop and execute local food implantation plans and develop infrastructure to facilitate these purchases. The project will benefit 9,258 students in 15 districts.
Hudson Valley
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County: $98,538 for the Southern Catskills Farm-to-School Project. The project will work to raise awareness of and demand for local foods in 10 schools benefiting 9,258 students. Students will receive education from local farmers and experience taste test seminars in their cafeterias.
Long Island
• Southampton Union Free School District: $99,389 for the East End Farm-to-School Project, which is a collaborative effort of three school districts on the South Fork of Long Island to benefit 2,000 students. The project includes working with 14 NYS producers to increase the capacity of schools to purchase and serve NYS farm products in school meals programs.
