HARRISBURG, Pa. — You can grow your own healthy crops and eat them, too.
Those are among the lessons some early educators in Lehigh County will be able to pursue with their kindergarten-through-eighth-graders, thanks to PA Farm Bill's Farm-to-School Grants, it was announced this week.
Allentown School District middle schools and two Lehigh County learning centers are among 45 schools in the state chosen to share $462,607 in grant monies aimed at growing healthier children and families.
“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."State Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding
“Farm-to-School grants are an investment not just in feeding hungry minds, but feeding our future,” state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in the release.
“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.”
Grants of up to $15,000 per school were up for grabs.
The program connects children with fresh, healthy food from Pennsylvania farmers so children get to know their local food system better. They also learn to support Pennsylvania agriculture.
Local allocations
Locally, the distributed grants total $37,739.
Allentown School District — $9,993.
Its Fancy Farm-Fresh Apples project will expose students in grades 6-8 to a new local apple variety every month throughout the year. Apples will be sourced from Frecon Farms in Boyertown, Berks County, and the farmer will discuss nutrition at the Afterschool Cooking Club.
Learning Minds Education Center in Allentown — $12,900
The center will spend its money on lesson plans that incorporate agriculture, a field trip to a local farm, books for classrooms and a nutrition-informative meeting for families, and to buy equipment to prepare and cook local food for students.
Traci’s Learning Center, 704 W Emmaus Ave., Allentown — $14,846.
Its project will focus on enhancing garden features in an outdoor learning space. It also will include field trips to local farms to learn about raising animals and growing produce.
