August 13, 2020
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Farm to Institution New York State, or FINYS, a collaborative initiative led by American Farmland Trust, announces the selection of ten schools to the 2020-2021 New York State Farm to School Institute, an intensive year-long program for New York schools to develop and grow their farm to school programs.
“The New York Farm to School Institute is honored to work with ten school teams for the 2020-21 school year,” says Stephanie Hsu, Farm to Institution New York State Program Manager . “In these unprecedented times, these schools remain dedicated to teaching about the importance of resilient and sustainable food systems, and are working hard to provide nutritious, locally-sourced foods to our children and communities across New York. The Institute will serve as a catalyst and a community for our schools as they charter new waters to redefine and innovate farm to school for the upcoming year.”
PARTICIPATING NEW YORK SCHOOLS INCLUDE:
- Boquet Valley Central School District
- Newburgh Free Academy North (Newburgh Enlarged City School District)
- C.V. Starr Intermediate School (Brewster Central School District)
- Thomas A. Edison Elementary School (Kenmore Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District)
- Ellenville Central School District
- East End Farm to School Project (Southampton Union Free School District, Tuckahoe Common School District, Bridgehampton School District)
- Forestville Central School District
- Office of Food and Nutrition Services, New York City Department of Education
- Perry Central School District
- Windsor Central High School
School teams, comprised of school administrators, school nutrition professionals, educators and community partners, will receive support to enhance their technical knowledge on how to procure and prepare local foods, tools for community engagement, and strategies to support classroom and culinary education.
Participating schools will convene for a virtual kick-off retreat starting August 10, join farm-to-school workshops throughout the year, receive regular coaching to support goal-setting and execution, network with school teams and leaders and professionals in the farm to school field from across the state, meet for a one-day gathering in Spring 2021, and be eligible for a Farm to School Implementation Award of up to $5,000.
The New York State Farm to School Institute is a project of Farm to Institution New York State, a collaborative initiative of American Farmland Trust, working to dramatically expand the volume of food grown on local farms that is served in institutions across New York. It is made possible thanks to support from the NoVo Foundation, the Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation and members of the American Farmland Trust. Learn more at www.finys.org.