In October during Farm to School (F2S) Month we joined our provincial partners Sustain Ontario, Food First NL and the Public Health Association of BC in hosting webinars to share the exciting impacts of the Farm to School Canada Grants program in Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia.
Developed in partnership with the Whole Kids Foundation, the Farm to School Canada Grants program—which is central to the Farm to School: Canada Digs In! initiative—provides schools with funding and training resources to implement a locally- and sustainably-sourced lunch service, while also giving students the opportunity to experience hands-on food and nutrition education.
Recordings have since been shared of these webinars, which you can now view on YouTube:
Ontario
Between September 2016 and June 2020, 15,381 students in Ontario received a total of $343,000 across 32 elementary and secondary schools.
Newfoundland and Labrador
In NL, 1,208 students received a total of $36,000 across 4 elementary and secondary schools.
British Columbia
In British Columbia, 11, 969 students received a total of $361,000 across 33 elementary and secondary school.
In all webinars, you’ll hear concrete examples of how these farm to school programs support public health, education & learning, community economic development, and vibrant school communities.
For instance, between 2016-2020:
- 96% of grantee schools reported the grant increased the amount of healthy food that they provided to students (public health)
- 95% of schools reported students were more aware of and had greater knowledge about gardening, agriculture, and the environment (education & learning)
- 87% of schools increased the amount of local food they procured and provided to students (community economic development)
- And 87% of schools reported the salad bar created a greater sense of vibrancy and excitement in the school (vibrant school communities)
View the webinar recordings above for more impressive numbers, impact stories, and great photos of students enjoying farm to school! Both webinars also detail what the Farm to School Approach entails.
To learn more about farm to school impacts in Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as British Columbia, Quebec, and New Brunswick, check out our recently-released Farm to School: Canada Digs In! Report 2020:
F2S:CDI Report 2020
