West Chester, Pa (October 10, 2024) – Students in the Great Valley School District will have access to more fresh, locally-grown food thanks to state funding awarded through the Pennsylvania Farm Bill, state Senators Carolyn Comitta and Katie Muth announced.
The Great Valley School District was recently awarded $15,000 in state funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Farm-to-School Grant Program to purchase local, seasonal produce, yogurt, beef, and other products from Pequea Valley Farm, Frecon Farms, Happy Valley Meat, and other farms. The items will be served in school cafeterias along with information on where food was sourced.
“Offering fresh, locally grown food items in our schools not only gives students more nutritious options, but also hopefully sets them on the lifelong path to making healthier eating choices and supporting local farms and community agriculture,” said Comitta, who serves on the both the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Senate Education Committees.
“Farm-to-School Grants are such an important investment not only to support our local farms, but to ensure that all students are eating quality, locally sourced food,” Muth said. “This grant is great news for Great Valley School District and I am hopeful that more of our regional schools can benefit from this program moving forward.”
“Farm-to-School grants are an investment not just in feeding hungry minds, but feeding our future,” Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “Introducing children to fresh, local food can change their diets and open their eyes to career possibilities when they learn how food is produced and who produces it. The Shapiro Administration is making critical investments to feed the future of our communities and expand opportunities for children to succeed and Pennsylvania farms to prosper.”
The funds for Great Valley come as part of more than $462,000 in total Farm-to-School Grant Program funding awarded to 45 schools, school districts, and childhood education centers in 26 counties.
Grants of up to $15,000 are available to fund projects aimed at improving access to healthy, local food and increasing hands-on learning for children in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
Farm-to-School projects connect local farmers to schools to supply fresh, in-season products to be served in cafeterias, expanding market opportunities for farmers. Other projects support school gardens, field trips, and other hands-on agriculture education, enriching early career awareness.
Pennsylvania remains the only state in the nation with its own Farm Bill. This year marked the fifth anniversary of the landmark investment in Pennsylvania agriculture – an industry that supports 593,000 jobs and contributes $132.5 billion to our economy annually.
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