Farm to School program receives near-$300,000 grant

March 11, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Marni Walsh

The Farm to School program run by the Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance (HFFA), an initiative of Headwaters Communities in Action (HCIA), received an Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) Grow Grant from the Provincial Government for $299,700 on February 26.

The presentation took place at an open house event held in Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave to celebrate the expansion of the program made possible by the grant.

HFFA supports activities that contribute to a healthy food system and encourages locally grown food consumption. The Farm to School program pairs local farmers with area schools to teach students the different aspects of the local food system, offering engaging activities from Kindergarten to Grade 6, which include many curriculum links and full lesson plans.

The official plaque was given to the program coordinators by Ontario Trillium Foundation representative Winston Uytenbogaart. MPP Sylvia Jones was also present at the award ceremony.

The Farm to School project was envisioned by area resident Jennifer Payne, who HCIA Lead Shirley Boxem calls, “the steam and passion fuelling this project.”

Jennifer has worked as the project lead, alongside her colleague Nicole Hambleton, to implement the program.

Boxem said the event was “a great success” with over 100 attendees, including parents and kids, which will support good uptake in the Caledon Schools.

“That is one of the aims of this grant.”

The open house activities included after school snacks and a “tasting dinner” of the most popular Local Food Club meals. HFFA’s Local Food Club, similar to a food box or farm share program, “invites families to purchase memberships and receive monthly local food packs through their school. Packs include samples of food sourced from the Headwaters region, information about the farmers and the food, including recipes, nutritional information and handling tips.”

Families had the opportunity to try hands on food activities at the event, such as making granola, a seed necklace, pickling carrots, and packing a Local Food Club bag.

The crowd also interacted with area farmers and improved their kitchen skills with a local chef. The goal of this event was not only to recognize the grant, but to raise awareness of HFFA’s existing programs and expansion plans; engage the local community thereby promoting local food and farming; and to explore and enjoy local foods as well as gathering input on programs of importance to the community.

The grant “will allow us to expand our Farm to School Education Workshops and Local Food Club programs to more schools and develop brand new family cooking classes facilitated by teams of farmers, dietitians, and chefs,” says Boxem.

For more information, contact a Program Coordinator at food@headwaterscommunities.org