WSDA offers more grants for Farm to School program

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday it is now accepting grant applications from local districts to buy locally grown farm commodities for breakfast and lunch.

According to a WSDA press release, the state has nearly $3 million in grants to help school districts across the state purchase locally grown produce. And school or district — including daycare centers, tribal schools and tribal early learning centers — that participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s school nutrition program is eligible to apply, with final grant awards expected to reach between $20,000 and $300,000 based on the number of meals served, the press release noted.

“The Farm to School Purchasing Grants not only support farm to school efforts, but also local farms of different sizes, production scales, and crop types from around that state,” said WSDA Director Derek Sandison in the press release. ‘One of our goals with this grant program is to strengthen Washington’s food at the regional level, while helping to ensure that the more locally-produced food is consumed by children in our schools.”

For more information or to apply for a grant, check out the WSDA website at www.agr.wa.gov/FarmToSchool or email the program farmtoschool@agr.wa.gov.