Buffalo Public Schools receive a Farm to School Planning Grant: Formal Announcement and Public Info Session to be held on February 23 and 24

The Buffalo Public Schools is one of 82 projects receiving support this year through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm to School Program, an effort to better connect school cafeterias and students with local farmers. The district received a $45,000 planning grant that will positively impact over 34,000 students in its schools.

Farm to School Planning Grants, according to the USDA, are intended for school districts just starting to incorporate farm to school program elements into their operations. With a goal of bringing healthy, local, and fresh food to schools in Buffalo, this initiative will:

  • Connect schools, farms, and community partners to improve student nutrition through agriculture, health, and nutrition education; and
  • Strengthen our economy by supporting local farmers and food producers.

The formal announcement be held on Monday, February 23, 2015 at Public School #32, the Bennett Park Montessori School, which is located at 342 Clinton St. in Buffalo. The announcement will take place in the school cafeteria, where a salad bar will be set up, from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM. Elected officials and BPS leaders will address the students at 10:30 AM. Students and elected officials will go through the salad bar line and have an opportunity to eat together in the cafeteria.

On Tuesday, February 24, from 5:00 to 7:30PM, the general public is invited to get involved in the Farm to School initiative by attending a Public Info Session. The public info session will take place at PS #99 Stanley M. Makowski, Early Childhood Center, located at 1095 Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo. Students, parents, cafeteria managers, BPS Board Members, farmers, food processors, and all others are invited to attend. A light dinner will be provided, first-come, first-serve. Register online at http://bit.ly/1KoJiPe or get more information on the Buffalo Public Schools website at www.buffaloschools.org.

The Food Systems Planning and Communities Lab is excited that this initiative will bring healthy, local, and fresh foods to Buffalo schools, and wish to thank the Buffalo Public Schools and its partners, Cornell Cooperative Extensions of Erie County, Massachusetts Avenue Project, and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for their efforts to improve student nutrition and access to healthy food.