NC Farms for NC Kids (F4K) is good for children, good for farmers, and good for local economies.
F4K can help ensure more students get what they need to succeed every day in NC schools – and we are working to make that happen for all NC children!
NCPTA has always been a strong voice in favor of supporting the education of the whole child by providing a supportive and nurturing environment for all children to thrive and excel. Research demonstrates that kids who eat healthy meals do better in school and school nutrition is viewed as an academic intervention which improves student performance. More than 1.1 million children participate in school meal programs in NC every day, so healthy, local, and adequately funded school meals are an important part of improving student performance.
Today, we know that only about 2% of funds spent on produce in North Carolina’s public schools is for produce grown in North Carolina. North Carolina’s agricultural sector is the state’s largest economic driver and largest employer, and yet many schools are not able to put local products on their menus because their budgets are very tight.
F4K will give schools what they need to buy more North Carolina-grown food for our kids and give schools flexibility to provide meals to students who are unable to pay. In receiving funds, schools will purchase North Carolina grown products, and that keeps money in North Carolina, feeds our kids local food, and supports North Carolina farmers.
Why is farm to school important?
Farm to school provides all kids across the state of North Carolina access to nutritious, high-quality, local food so they are ready to learn and grow. The NC Farm to School program has been supplying school cafeterias across our state with the freshest, locally grown produce from North Carolina farms since 1997 and is one of the best state-wide programs in the country. Farm to school activities enhance classroom education through hands-on learning related to food, health, agriculture and nutrition. Learn more about farm to school with this fact sheet, and more about North Carolina-specific farm to school with this video.
Resources
NC Farms for NC Kids website
THANK YOU for FARMs Support
FARMs for School Meals Placemat
FARMs for School Meals Facts