Monthly Harvest - July 2025

Natalie McHale
18 hours ago
6 min read

Hello Farm to Fork friends!

Summer is the perfect time to celebrate and connect with local food through Farm to School! This month’s theme focuses on enjoying fresh, seasonal produce, supporting our Squash Summer Hunger initiative, and learning from inspiring events like the Movement Building Workshop at Ute Tribal Enterprise. Our recently completed culinary workshops helped school nutrition teams bring more local ingredients into their kitchens. Explore the opportunities below to learn more and get involved!

Squash Summer Hunger BINGO

Looking for a fun way to stay connected to local food this summer? Join us for Squash Summer Hunger BINGO—a kid-friendly activity designed to promote healthy eating, support local farms, and explore summer meals in your community!

Each square on the BINGO card encourages participants to try new fruits and vegetables, visit a farmers market, thank a school nutrition worker, or get creative in the kitchen with local produce. It's a simple, engaging way to spark conversations about food and make healthy habits stick.

Complete a row (or the whole board!) and share your progress with us for a chance to be featured on our social media. Let’s squash summer hunger—one BINGO square at a time.

Download your card today!

Ute Tribal Enterprise Bison Ranch Visit

In June, we had the incredible opportunity to visit the Ute Tribal Enterprise Bison Ranch for our second Movement Building Workshop. Partners from across Utah gathered to celebrate farm to school success stories and learn more about how Ute Tribal Enterprise is connecting local, culturally significant food to students throughout the state and beyond.

The day included a guided bison ranch tour, a behind-the-scenes look at their retail space and meat processing operation, and even a taste of their delicious bison—a powerful way to experience the impact of this work firsthand.

A huge thank you to the Ute Tribal Enterprise team for your generosity, knowledge, and warm hospitality, and to FOX 13 for featuring this special visit: Watch the story here.

We’re so grateful to continue building relationships that strengthen farm to school in every corner of Utah!

2025 School Nutrition Culinary Workshops

This summer, school nutrition teams from across Utah came together for a series of culinary workshops held in Lehi and Logan. Led by Chef Cyndi and her expert culinary team, these hands-on sessions focused on improving scratch cooking skills and incorporating fresh, local ingredients into school meals. The workshops equipped participants with practical tools to create healthier, more flavorful menus that connect students to Utah’s vibrant local food system.

Thank you Chef Cyndi’s team and everyone who participated!

Network Spotlight

Utah Agriculture in the Classroom: Summer Teacher Workshops

Congratulations to all the educators who participated in Utah Agriculture in the Classroom’s Summer Teacher Workshops!

These hands-on sessions provided teachers with tools, resources, and inspiration to bring agriculture into their classrooms, connecting students to where their food comes from and why it matters.

We’re so grateful to the teachers who took time from their summer break to invest in meaningful learning that will benefit students all year long.

Stay tuned—more ag education opportunities are coming this fall!

Resource Spotlight

USDA Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder

This free, mobile-friendly tool shows nearby summer meal locations—whether you’re looking for an eat‑on‑site site with activities or "Meals To-Go" in rural areas, the finder gives you addresses, hours, contact info, and clarifies whether meals must be consumed at the site or can be taken away.

Visit the site here!

Get Involved

Squash Summer Hunger Events – Provo, UT

Join us this summer at 815 S. Freedom Blvd, Provo for a fun and tasty way to celebrate local squash! On July 30th, August 6th, 13th, and 20th from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM, enjoy:

Squash recipe sampling
Kid-friendly squash activities
A squash demonstration garden
Food pantry tours

We invite you to bring a fresh produce or canned food donation to support local families in need.

This event is proudly presented by the Utah County Health Department and Community Action Services. Come for the fun, food, and community!

10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference

Registration Now Open! | Register here

The National Farm to Cafeteria Conference is happening December 2–4, 2025 in Albuquerque, New Mexico! This year's event will bring together farm to institution leaders from across the country for learning, networking, and collective action to strengthen local food systems.

Don’t miss this chance to connect and grow with the movement! Planning to attend? Let us know! We’d love to know who’s representing Utah!

Squash Summer Hunger Events – Provo, UT

Join us this summer at 815 S. Freedom Blvd, Provo for a fun and tasty way to celebrate local squash! On July 30th, August 6th, 13th, and 20th from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM, enjoy:

Squash recipe sampling
Kid-friendly squash activities
A squash demonstration garden
Food pantry tours

We invite you to bring a fresh produce or canned food donation to support local families in need.

This event is proudly presented by the Utah County Health Department and Community Action Services. Come for the fun, food, and community!

Food Justice

Food Access: Farmers Markets

New Roots runs two farmers markets in Salt Lake County that provide affordable, fresh, and culturally diverse produce, especially specialty crops that are hard to find elsewhere. These markets support local New Roots farmers by giving them a place to sell and connect with the community.

The Redwood Farmers Market takes place Wednesdays from June 25 to October 8 at Redwood Farm (3060 S Lester St, West Valley City). The Saturday market runs at Sunnyvale Park in Millcreek (4013 S 700 W, SLC) through August. Starting August 2025, both markets will be held at Redwood Farm.

Both markets offer a 1-to-1 EBT/SNAP incentive match—spend $30, get $30 in free tokens—thanks to the Utah Double Up Food Bucks program administered by the Utah Department of Health. This makes fresh local food more accessible to everyone in the community.

Job Opportunities

Paraprofessional at Roots Charter High School

West Valley | Apply here

Roots Charter High School in West Valley City is hiring a paraprofessional to support students through classroom assistance, small group work, and supervision. This role helps create a positive learning environment in a unique farm-based school setting. A high school diploma and a passion for student success are required.

Internal Education Manager at Wasatch Community Gardens

Salt Lake City | July 18 deadline | Apply here

Wasatch Community Gardens (WCG) is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering people to grow and eat healthy, organic, local food through programs in education, community gardens, advocacy, and more. They are hiring an Internal Education Manager to support staff and program participants by developing educational resources, facilitating workshops, and managing teaching gardens. This role requires strong organic gardening knowledge, teaching experience, and the ability to build relationships across teams. Responsibilities include internal and external education, overseeing a trial garden program, and supporting garden-based learning spaces.

Funding Opportunities

Utah STEM Action Center Grants

Due August 31 | Apply here

The PreK-12 Classroom Grant supports Utah public school educators in creating innovative STEM learning experiences tailored to their students' needs. Funded projects share results at STEM conferences and in the STEM Resource Library. Hundreds of grants have impacted tens of thousands of students. Starting in the 2024–25 school year, this grant operates as a reimbursement program.

TreeUtah School Tree Planting Grants

Due October 1 | Apply here

TreeUtah offers year-round education and hands-on learning for all ages, from kindergarten to college. They facilitate schoolyard tree plantings, provide grade-specific tree curriculum and in-class presentations, partner with libraries for tree-themed story times, and offer internships for high school and college students.

Did You Know?

The National Farm to School Network has a Policy Map! This interactive map highlights how partners and state advocates are advancing policies that benefit kids, farmers, and communities by supporting local, nourishing school meals. Explore the interactive map to see the latest farm to school policy developments in your state or territory during the current legislative session.

Check it out here!

Join Our Network!