Sprouting Healthy Kids builds on Sustainable Food Center’s successes in Farm Marketing, Community and Youth Food Gardening, and Food and Nutrition Education.

SFC works through our network of local farmers and with school food service staff to increase access to locally grown foods in school cafeterias. This effort improves the sustainability of local farms by providing an additional sales outlet and encourages consumption of fresh and nutritious foods. Farmers also assist in the educational aspects of the project by sharing their farm stories in classrooms and club activities, and by hosting tours for young people on their farms.

SFC has established partnerships with after school clubs and community organizations to support youth gardening and healthy cooking projects at schools and in their neighborhoods. Young people, along with their families, learn about a healthy and sustainable food system and share these lessons with other youth through our peer-to-peer training program.

Healthy food, school gardens, and local farms provide an excellent context for teaching a variety of subjects. Educators at participating schools can take advantage of onsite gardens as teaching tools, and can incorporate nutrition and food systems into countless in-class lessons. SFC is exploring several curricula, including our own publication, The School Farm, to support the efforts of teachers who are integrating food and farm lessons into their classrooms.

FUNDERS:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Michael and Susan Dell Foundation

Burdine Johnson Foundation

Still Water Foundation

Seawell Elam Foundation

Alice Kleberg Reynolds Meyer Foundation