Congressman Panetta Announces USDA Farm to School Grants for Community Bridges and North Monterey County School District

Press Release

Today, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) announced that Community Bridges and North Monterey County School Districts will each be receiving USDA Farm to School Grant funding. North Monterey County Unified School District will receive $97,638 in funding for their Farm to School Expansion Project. Community Bridges will receive $48,122 to plan, develop, and implement the Edible Garden Project benefiting low-income children on the central coast of California.

"I am pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has made vital investments to increase access to healthy, nutritious food for students and communities on the Central Coast," said Congressman Panetta. "The Farm to School Grants for the North Monterey County Unified School District and Community Bridges will help strengthen the ties between our local agriculture industry and youth in our communities. These grants represent a win-win scenario, as they will expose our children to agriculture and nutrition education through hands-on learning while providing a reliable revenue for local farmers."

North Monterey County Unified School District will use their grant to expand educational opportunities and increase the procurement of locally sourced foods, which will benefit more than 4,600 NMCUSD students. Community Bridges' Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) will pilot their program in partnership with 100 Day Care Home Providers and Lab Life, a garden-based education organization. The Edible Garden Project will provide agricultural hands-on learning to youth in the district.

Farm to school efforts help to integrate more locally grown produce into school cafeterias and expose children to agriculture and nutrition education through hands-on learning. In addition, they provide reliable revenue for American farmers.

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