Cornucopia Project has been awarded a $100,000 New England Food Vision Prize from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation to launch “Bringing the Farm to School with Cornucopia Project,” a two-year initiative to strengthen farm-to-school connections in 11 rural New Hampshire towns.
The program will connect student farmers, local growers, and school food service teams across the ConVal and Jaffrey-Rindge districts to increase the use of locally grown food in school cafeterias, benefitting more than 3,500 students and families. Partners include the National Center for Appropriate Technology Northeast, which will provide training and technical support in sustainable food production, marketing, and procurement.
“This award helps us strengthen connections between farms, school food services, and children’s plates,” said Lauren Judd, Cornucopia Project’s executive director. “The real reward is giving children even more opportunities to enjoy nourishing meals at school while strengthening the local economy.”
Through this initiative, Cornucopia Project will partner with NCAT Northeast to train about 40 producers and student farmers in farm-to-school production and marketing strategies using NCAT’s “Bringing the Farm to School” curriculum. It will also establish direct purchasing relationships between local farms and schools, supporting school food service teams with technical assistance and equipment to help them source, prepare and serve more locally grown foods. Recruiting for the first producer and student training group will begin in late 2025.
For information, visit www.cornucopiaproject.org.