Information provided by the San Benito High School District. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
San Benito High School District has received a $200,000 Farm To School Incubator Grant to procure fresh produce and meat that is locally grown and organically farmed in San Benito County. Additionally, the funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture will fund a farm-to-fork garden and above-ground garden beds on campus that will enhance Hollister High School’s Career Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and offer opportunities for students to learn about sustainable agriculture and food stewardship.
The food purchased and grown through the program will be served to students through Hollister High School’s food services program and utilized by students in Mike Fisher’s Culinary classes. The food will also be offered to the school community through campus food pantry.
Hollister High School Culinary teacher Mike Fisher said the program will build upon the connections his program has with local agriculture. “We have already welcomed many industry partners who are local farmers that donate product to our class,” he said. “They have been guest speakers and describe the lifecycle and seasons of the food they grow. I am excited to use this grant to grow our relationships with these farmers.”
The project, known as “Fresh Picks for Bright Minds,” will get underway in mid-September. The district will purchase meat and produce from local farmers and ranchers including Renz Beef, Windswept Farms, Pinnacle Organics and Tonascia Farms, among others.
“We will be purchasing locally-grown beef, dried apricots and vegetables,” said grant author Kristy Bettencourt, San Benito High School District’s Maintenance, Operations, Transportation and Facilities Manager.
Mr. Fisher said the farm-to-table program will “promote healthier eating habits and environmental awareness while supporting our local economy. Teenagers, now more than ever, are curious to try new ingredients thanks to Youtube and social media. What they don’t know is that many of the products they seek are produced right here in San Benito County. Making this connection fosters healthy lifestyles and growth in our local economy.”
Interim Food Services Supervisor Martha Fowles said the program will help continue the district’s commitment to serving fresh, nutritious food through its breakfast, lunch, and supper programs, which last year served more than 600,000 meals to students. San Benito High School District Superintendent Dr. Shawn Tennenbaum said that as the District continues to pursue innovative ways to support the nutritional needs of students,
“I am extremely proud of MOT Manager Kristy Bettencourt, Culinary Educator Mike Fisher, and Interim Food Services Supervisor Martha Fowles for their teamwork and exceptional follow through to secure the $200,000 Farm to School Incubator Grant. In fact, it is not only the strong partnerships on campus that are thriving, but we will now have exciting opportunities to further strengthen our community partnerships by supporting local farmers and completing the Farm to School cycle on behalf of our students. It is truly an exciting day to be a Baler, as we strive for excellence in all that we do.”
In announcing the grant funding, California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “Supporting healthy food access is foundational to giving our kids the best start in life and preventing chronic disease. Farm to School and the state’s other groundbreaking efforts in this space are making a real difference for thousands of California families every day, with countless benefits for our communities, local producers and the future of our state.”
For this round of funding, CDFA’s Incubator Grant Program received 499 applications and $129 million in funding requests. This is almost double the number of project proposals from the previous grant cycle and six-times the number of project proposals from the inaugural year of 2021. During that time, the grant program has reached 49 percent of California students through a total of $86 million invested in 375 projects, benefitting more than 2.8 million students at 269 school districts.
“These projects show the tremendous passion for farm to school in all corners of California,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We’re excited to support each awardee with resources and training to ensure these programs continue making progress toward fresh, local foods in school cafeterias and classrooms.”
The post San Benito High School District awarded $200K grant appeared first on BenitoLink.