Yellville-Summit School District Seeks $110K Federal Grant

YELLVILLE - A grant application from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) worth $110,714 has been approved during a Yellville-Summit School District Board meeting. The Baxter Bulletin reports the approximately 50-page matching grant application - aiming at improving the existing farm to school efforts, including the school garden and the kitchen - must be submitted by Dec. 8. The USDA is expected to respond in May. "I'm excited about the possibilities," the district superintendent, Wes Henderson, told The Bulletin. "I hope we get it because it'll be a way we can even improve our program that we have, and maybe improve the food services for our students and help pay for some equipment that we already need." According to a Y-S School Board handout, "the purpose of the USDA Farm to School Grant Program is to assist eligible entities in implementing farm school programs that improve to local foods in eligible schools. On annual basis, USDA awards up to $5 million in competitive grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships and implementing farm to school programs." The equipment in the kitchen is about 40 years old, especially the steamer that tends to overcook vegetables. This is something students dislike, Katherine Quinn, agriculture teacher, told The Bulletin. By upgrading the steamer, less food will be thrown away. Additionally, for food service equipment and supplies, Yellvil...
Source: Arkansas Business - Health Care - Category: American Health Source Type: news