Hello Farm to Fork Friends,
Happy National Farm to School Month! How are you celebrating? (Hint: we have a statewide Apple Crunch you can join). This is a great time to reflect on and celebrate our shared successes, while also winding down from a busy harvest cycle. Please share your celebrations with us by tagging @utfarm2fork and use the hashtags #farmtoschool #farmtoschoolmonth and #UTapplecrunch.
What to Harvest This Month
Apples of course! You can crunch straight into them for Apple Crunch Day, or dice them up and enjoy our featured Harvest of the Season recipe for a delicious Kale, Apple, & Chicken Wrap.
Get Involved!
Register Now for the Utah Apple Crunch
The 6th annual Utah Apple Crunch will be held on October 19, 2022. This is our annual celebration of National Farm to School Month, and we encourage everyone to join us by crunching down on a delicious Utah-grown apple. Registration and resources are posted at https://www.utfarmtofork.org/utah-apple-crunch. Remember, if you participate in the National School Lunch Program, Utah apples purchased for this celebration count towards your local purchase total for enhanced reimbursement.
Webinars & Trainings
Bringing the Farm to School
Later this month, Sarah Smith from the Nebraska Department of Education and Ben Jewell from University of Nebraska Extension will share their experience training producers and tribal members using the USDA Bringing the Farm to School curriculum. Check the calendar on the project website to register once the date is set.
Improving Equity
Decolonizing School Garden Culture
We love school gardens! We also recognize that even the things we love can be made better. In this case, there are aspects of garden-based education that are based in white supremacy culture. In this 15-minute talk, Djamila Moore from Grow Portland discusses how their organization learned how to decolonize garden education by facilitating BIPOC farm partnerships, incorporating Indigenous knowledge models, diversifying staffing, and prioritizing professional development focused on uprooting white supremacy constructs.
Job Opportunities New Roots Farm Coordinator, International Rescue Committee, Salt Lake City
New Roots in Salt Lake City (New Roots SLC) is an innovative agriculture and food access program that provides opportunities for refugees to garden, start farm-based businesses, and access healthy, local, culturally appropriate produce. The New Roots Farm Coordinator will build the capacity of the New Roots Farm Training Program, through development and delivery of farmer training, acquisition of resources, and management of physical resources, staff, and volunteers. Learn more and apply here.
Funding Opportunities
Budding Botanist Grants
The Budding Botanist Grant will help students learn about plants, explore their world and inspire them to take care of the life they discover in their local ecosystems. In late 2022, twenty high-need schools across the United States will be awarded $1,000 in grant funding to support their youth garden programs. Any public school, charter school, or private school serving students in grades K to 12 in the United States that can demonstrate that at least 40% of their student population would qualify for free or reduced-price meals is eligible to apply. Learn more and apply here. The application deadline is October 14, 2022.
Bee Grants
In partnership with the Bee Cause Project, Whole Kids Foundation Bee Grants allow for schools and non-profit organizations to receive support for educational beehives and bee programming so students can observe bees up close and learn about the vital role these pollinators play in our food system. Learn more and apply here. The first application deadline is October 15, 2022.
Be sure to share your upcoming events, grant opportunities, and jobs with us so that we can share them here!
