Over the next 2 school years, from September 2022 – June 2024, these schools will:
In addition to the school-based program activities, grant recipient schools will connect, share and learn with each other, supported by Farm to Cafeteria Canada and our regional partners.
The new grantee schools will engage students in their local food systems in a variety of ways. On the growing side, some schools have shared that they are excited about hydroponics, while others plan on growing in greenhouses, gardens or food forests — a couple of schools will even see the development of farms right on their school property! On the food service side, we’re excited to see enthusiasm for the return of the salad bar and we also look forward to seeing more schools incorporate access to diverse cultural foods, integrate Indigenous language revitalization into their programs, and more!
Here is just a taste of what some schools have shared with us about their programs:
“This program will complement the current cultural programs that our school runs that include local food literacy through hunting, fishing, and identifying and gathering local plants [and it] will help students connect more deeply to their land through learning hands on in the classroom about food sustainability and the process of growing food.”
“Not only will greens be available at the salad bar, but carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries and other varieties of produce as well; community members have donated an abundance of seeds for students to plant and grow. The salad bar will be of no cost to our students allowing them to be exposed to healthy lunches without any financial burden.”
“From conversations with our students, we know that this grant will build a community of learners growing their understanding of the efforts required to feed people and learn about the steps needed to produce food.”
Strong and resilient food systems reflect and celebrate the diversity of our country. The grants program embraces this and supports schools to grow programs by, for and with their own communities. Seeing the breadth of activities and school food models emerging as a result provides inspiration and guidance for more schools to join the movement. It is an important and exciting time for school food in Canada, and it is our privilege to be working with these schools to transform how food is experienced, learned and celebrated in their school communities.
Learn more about the grants and check out stories from past grant recipients here.
Offered in partnership with Whole Kids Foundation, and delivered directly to schools, Farm to School Canada Grants are valued at up to $10,000 each and are designed to bring more healthy, local foods into school communities. They support hands-on food literacy, including growing, harvesting and cooking food at school; and school meal services, such as salad bars, that allow students to build their own bowls or create their own plates. Grant cycles run for 2 years, from September through June, and are facilitated by Farm to Cafeteria Canada.
The 2022 grants represent the fourth round of the program. The first grant cycle was launched in 2016, open to schools in British Columbia and Ontario. In each subsequent cycle, the reach of the grants program has increased across the country and grants are now held in schools across 9 provinces and 1 territory. Since 2016, the program has provided nearly $1.6M directly to 159 schools, reaching more than 62,000 students.
