JPS, Public Market Awarded USDA Farm To School Grant | News, Sports, Jobs

Linnea Haskins, Jamestown Public Market manager, and Hannah Bavuso, Jamestown Public Market community coordinator, presented information on the market’s partnership with Jamestown Public Schools on Edible School Gardens during the Oct. 26 JPS board of education meeting. The gardens are made possible through a $50,000 USDA Farm to School grant, recently received by the market and district.
Submitted photo

Jamestown Public Schools, in partnership with the Jamestown Public Market, has received a Farm to School grant from the United States Department of Agriculture for the 2022-23 school year.

The $50,000 award will allow the market and the district to work together in re-introducing a tower garden program at C.V. Bush Elementary School, as well as the creation of sustainable gardens at Bush and Washington Middle School. In addition to constructing the gardens, market staff will work with JPS educators to integrate edible gardens into the current curriculum.

“We are very excited to work together with the Jamestown Public Market to engage in an experiential learning project that will help our students learn about where their food comes from, what goes into growing it, and what the nutritional benefits of fresh, whole foods are in their lives.” said Dr. Kevin Whitaker, Jamestown Public Schools Superintendent.

“We’re really excited about this opportunity to work with Jamestown Public Schools to help bring this grant to life,” added Hannah Bavuso, community coordinator for the Jamestown Public Market. “One of our goals is to increase communication across our food systems and to broaden education related to agriculture. We’re really excited to support the school district in this way.”

Other community partners include the YWCA of Jamestown, Grassroots Gardens of Western New York, and Cornell Cooperative Extension.

According to the USDA, “Farm to School increases the amount of locally produced foods served through child nutrition programs, while also educating children about how their foods are harvested and made. Various child nutrition operators can participate from farm to school, from states and tribal nations to schools and community organizations.”

The Jamestown Public Market’s award is one of 123 projects funded by the fiscal year 2022 competitive grants. Since the USDA Farm to School Program’s inception in 2013, the department has awarded nearly $75 million in Farm to School Grants, funding more than 1,000 projects across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico. These projects have reached over 25 million students in nearly 60,000 schools.

Those interested in more information on how they can assist in the school garden process can contact Hannah Bavuso at hannah@jtownpublicmarket.org.