Farm to School Month — Palm Springs schools strengthen nutritional programs through local food connections

October is National Farm to School Month. CDFA encourages educators, school food service
employees, farmers and farm to school enthusiasts across California to join in
the celebration. Visit https://www.farmtoschool.org/ for more information.

The Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD) received CDFA Farm to School Incubator Grant Program funding appropriations in 2021 and 2022. Their project goals have included strengthening contractual relationships with local farmers by bringing them to campuses to cultivate and refurbish school gardens, hosting farmers' markets, and expanding nutrition education through digital menu boards.

Throughout the 202302024 school year, PSUSD hosted farmers' markets with locally grown produce at 26 of its 27 school sites. At the markets, students learned about the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables and met local farmers growing produce that students eat in their cafeterias.

California farmers who have participated in PSUSD's programming include Mark Tadros from Aziz Farms in Thermal, Anna and Bob Knight from Old Grove Orange in Redlands, and Loren Werth from Food 4 Thought LLC in Fresno.

CDFA's Farm to School Incubator Grant Program is part of California's nation-leading investment in farm to school programs to cultivate equity, nurture students, build climate resilience, and create scalable and sustainable change. The grant program has awarded nearly $87 million in funding to 163 different entities serving 1.5 million public school students.