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SCS Farm to School Program Voted Best in Tennessee!

May 30, 2016 2003 views

The USDA recently awarded Shelby County Schools a "One in a Melon" award for administering an exemplary farm to school program. One school district per state was selected for the award based on public nominations from parents, teachers, community stakeholders and students, and SCS ranked umber one out of 81 Tennessee districts with a farm to school program.

Shelby County Schools has been participating in farm to school since 2013 and currently has 71 School gardens, which assist the district in providing local foods to more than 100,000 children every day. Plus, hundreds of students get the unique opportunity to learn and work in a school garden. 

A 2015 USDA report shows that schools with robust farm to school programs report reductions in food waste, higher school meal participation rates and increased willingness of the students to try new foods, notably fruits and vegetables. Additionally, farm to school programs help kids form healthy habits, learn where their food comes from and develop an understanding of the importance of nutrition and agriculture. 

For more information about Shelby County School’s farm to school program, please contact Jason Pipkin at 416-0064 or [email protected].

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