2020 Farm to School Regional Gathering

This Regional Gathering is a collaborative project between Gorge Grown Food Network and the Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network, and supported with funding from the Oregon Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.  

The purpose of this Regional Gathering is to:

– Provide a space for networking between food school foodservice staff and local producers to discuss future projects and plans

– Learn more about the available grant resources and have the opportunity to workshop the Oregon Farm to School grant applications 

In 2019 the Oregon State Legislature approved an increase in Farm to School funding from $4.5 million to $15 million. This funding includes multiple grant funding opportunities for school foodservice operations, including school, childcare, and summer meal programs, and newly secured funding for local food producers:

– Oregon Department of Agriculture announced a new grant opportunity (awards between $5,000-$100,000) to help Oregon producers and processors access the school marketplace. Application materials are available at ODA’s Farm to School webpage. The deadline to apply is March 9, 2020. Producers do not need to be currently selling to schools to access this funding. 

– Oregon Department of Education will host a second round of Education Grants for up to $10,000, with an anticipated release by mid-February.

Note that this Gathering is geared towards the farming and school procurement side of Farm to School: a Gathering for School Garden Educators will be held later in the year, likely in March. You are welcome to attend both Gatherings, or just one.

Please RSVP to Jordan@gorgegrown.com.