Farm to Cafeteria Legislation Needs Support for Funding!

Background

Over the past several years, the Community Food Security Coalition has worked to enact legislation to support Farm to Cafeteria projects. Based on the successful Community Food Projects grants, Farm to Cafeteria was designed to provide schools and non-profits with seed grants to cover the initial costs of preparing locally-grown food for school meals. These costs include equipment such as refrigerators and sinks, staff time to start projects, and experiential nutrition education projects, including school gardens. The 2004 Child Nutrition Act includes Farm to Cafeteria legislation under Section 122 entitled, "Access to Local Foods and School Gardens.". However, the program was not funded in 2005.

What Distinguishes Farm to Cafeteria
  • Local Focus: "Farm to Cafeteria" focuses on bringing locally-grown food into school cafeterias around the country. Local food is typically the freshest possible, and it highlights what foods are grown in a region.

  • One-Time Funding: The grants provide the resources to create financially self-sufficient, long-term Farm to Cafeteria projects.

  • Experiential Nutrition Education: Students learn where their food comes from by visiting farms, growing gardens, and seeing educational displays with their food. This education has been shown to have a direct effect on kids' healthy food choices.

  • Win-Win Benefits for Kids, Farmers, and Communities: Not only does Farm to Cafeteria encourage children to eat healthy, it also benefits independent, typically small-scale farmers. Purchasing directly from local farmers generates more money in the local economy and strengthens community ties.

What's Happening Now?

On February 6, the President released his budget for fiscal year '07. By mid-April, Senators and Representatives will be asked to identify their priorities for appropriations--the actual doling out of money. We want Farm to Cafeteria appropriations to be on those priority lists, and we specifically want members of the Appropriations Committees to support funding for Farm to Cafeteria.

What Can I Do?

Contact your Congresspeople and ask them to include $5 million for "Access to Local Foods and School Gardens," Section 122 of the 2004 Child Nutrition Act, in their agricultural appropriations requests. Explain that the legislation will help bring fresh, locally-grown food into schools, improving children's health and supporting family farmers and that a modest investment in these start-up grants will help schools develop lasting farm to cafeteria programs.

When you call, ask to speak to the staff who deals with agriculture and nutrition. Use the information above, and tell the staff that you want your member to support funding for this important program. If you leave a message, be sure to give your name, address, and phone number, and tell them you are a constituent. You can contact any legislator's office by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. You may also find your Senators' contact information at www.senate.gov and your Representative's contact information at www.house.gov.

For more information or to receive updates, please contact Steph Larsen, Policy Organizer for the Community Food Security Coalition, at Steph@foodsecurity.org or 202.543.8602.