Great news for the Oregon Farm to School Grant Program! Agency budgets for ODE and ODA just passed out of subcommittees and they included full funding for the Farm to School Grant Program! $10.2M in ODE’s budget and $500K in ODA’s budget - this is exactly what we have requested! Now, it falls to the full Legislature to pass the budget bills! Please take a moment to send an email to your legislator expressing your support for passing the agency budgets. The Republican walkout could delay passing these budgets- tell them to come to work and fund state agency budgets that include Farm to School Funding!
A template and email addresses are provided below
What to do:
Use this find your legislator tool to access email addresses for your Senator and Representative.
Sample email text:
Subject: Please Pass ODE & ODA Budget Bills
Dear Sentaor/ Representative XX,
I am pleased to see that HB 5014, Oregon Department of Education’s Budget Bill, and HB 5002 Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Budget bill both include adequate funding for the Farm to School Grant Program at the current service level.
I am writing to ask for your enthusiastic support for the ODE and ODA budgets when it comes before the legislature.
Farm to School Grants provide funding for schools to purchase healthy, local foods and provide farm and garden based education. These grants are leveraging and keeping millions of federal dollars in Oregon, supporting local farmers and connecting kids to Oregon agriculture.
Please vote yes on the Department of Education and Department of Agriculture budgets.
Thank you!
name/ address
What do the Farm to School Grants fund?
Oregon Food: school districts, summer meal programs and Head Start and other center-based early childcare and education sites purchase Oregon foods, through an opt-in grant program for all districts and a competitive grant program for districts that are making the most impactful, healthy purchases;
Education: districts and partner organizations educate children about food and agriculture;
Infrastructure and Equipment: producers meet the needs of schools, and increase their capacity to sell to schools and other institutions
Technical assistance: state-wide and regional partners provide technical assistance, training and resources to farm to school stakeholders and address barriers and challenges supporting success state-wide.
Farm to School and School Gardens support healthy, resilient communities!
Farm to School Grants provide funding for schools to purchase healthy, local foods, supporting local farmers and providing much needed economic relief and recovery.
Farm to School is leveraging and keeping
millions of federal dollars in Oregon, and at the same time providing Oregon fruits, vegetables, meats, beans, grains and dairy to hungry kids during and after school.
Student physical and social-emotional health is supported by hands-on learning in school gardens, nourishing food and connection to their local community.
This comprehensive suite of Grant Programs serves to build a resilient local food and education system that can serve as a community hub in times of crisis.
Farm to School is a win, win, win! Supporting kids, farms and communities!
For more information, contact:
Melina Barker, Director
Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Network
Email

Supporting Endorsers
1000 Friends of Oregon
29 Branded Beef
Ashland school district
Bandon Organic Growers
Beaverton SD Nutrition Services
Bend La Pine Schools
Bend Urban Gardens LLC
Beyond Toxics
Big Fun Beverages
Cabral Livestock
Capaces Leadership Institute
Children's Museum of So Oregon (formally Kid Time) / Ivy School Preschool
Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District
Coalition of Oregon School Administrators
Come Thru Market
Community Co-Pack
Corbett School District
Corvallis Environmental Center
CPSD6
Crater Renaissance Academy
Curry Watersheds Partnership
Dayton School District
Deck Family Farm
Dufur School
Ecotrust
Eugene School District 4J
Farmers Market Fund
Food Roots
FoodCorps
Froerer Farms inc.
Fry Family Farm
Genuine Wallowa County LLC dba GWC Provisions
Good Rain Farm
Gray Family Foundation
Green Heart Garden
Grow Portland
Growing Gardens
H.B. Lee Middle School
Hardy Seeds
Head Start of Lane County
HealTerra
HolleyHawk Garden Club
Hood River County School District
Humming Bee Nursery
Hummingbird Wholesale
Impact NW-Supa Fresh/Creekside Community HS
Keep Growing Seeds LLC
Klamath County School District
La Grande School District
Lebanon Community School Dist
Lincoln County School District
Lindauer Confections
Luckiamute Valley Charter Schools
Marion Polk Food Share
Mt. Angel School District #91
Oasis Wellness Garden
Oregon Beef Council
Oregon Food Bank
Oregon Head Start Association
Oregon Organic Coalition
Oregon Processed Vegetable Commission
Oregon PTA
Oregon PTA
Oregon School Nutrition Association
Organically Grown Company
OSU Extension Wasco County 4H
OtterBee's Market
Outgrowing Hunger
Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon
Pat~n~Tams Beef
Phoenix Elementary School
Phoenix-Talent Schools
Portland Nursery
Portland Public Schools
Prairie City School District #4
Redmond School District
RedTwig Education
Rogue Valley Farm to School
Salant Family Ranch
Serendipity Center
Small Baking Co
Southern Oregon food Solutions (SOFS)
St. Helens SD #502
Sustainable Living Center
Tre-Fin Foods
Umatilla School District
Umi Organic
Valley Flora Farm
Willamette Farm and Food Coalition
Zenger Farm