Cuomo announces $1.5M to fund Farm-to-School projects statewide

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced $1.5 million in funding for 16 school projects that promote farm products and boost the agricultural sector. Six of the projects in the greater Capital Region will receive a total of $580,000 between them.

“This is a win-win that provides students with nutritious meals while also strengthening New York farms,” says Cuomo in a statement. “I’m proud to see the growth of this initiative that will also help encourage healthy habits in every corner of this great state.”

The six projects on Cuomo’s list are:

• Capital Roots: $100,000 for the Capital Region Farm-to-School Initiative: Connecting Underserved Schools With Local Producers.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County: $100,000 for the CCE Saratoga County Farm-to-School project, which works with four school districts serving 2,000 students.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties: $100,000 for the Local Foods/Healthy Schools project, helping 4,018 students from five districts.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County: $91,400 for the Farm-to-School Transportation of Fresh Produce project in six schools with 13,800 total students.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Washington County: $88,686 for the Washington County Farm-to-School project, which will support 3,275 students in five districts.
• Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES: $100,000 for OHM Farm-to-School: Increasing Capacity and School Engagement project, which benefits 9,258 students in 15 districts.

The awards fund classroom resources, training for staff, food service equipment, and produce, meat, and dairy from local farms for school lunches.

This is the fifth round of funding in the Farm-to-School program, which aims to bring more and varied local food to area schools, bring farmers to new markets, and educate students about agriculture while making them healthier.

The Farm-to-School program supports the growing New York Thursdays Program, a school meal initiative feeding students local and fresh food on Thursdays.

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