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The artwork of 13 elementary school students will be featured in the 2020-21 North Carolina Farm to School calendar. This is the tenth year for the calendar, which features daily agricultural facts and highlights the N.C. Farm to School program and agriculture’s role in food production.
“It’s important for kids to learn that their food starts on a farm, and in creating artwork for the calendar and using the calendar during the year, they gain a better understanding that all food begins with farmers. When our students are able to enjoy the fruits and vegetables that are on the school lunch menu through our Farm to School program, everything they have learned about farming comes full circle.”
The N.C. Farm to School program is a cooperative effort of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Food Distribution and Marketing divisions. These divisions secure orders from school nutrition directors, and source and deliver locally grown fruits and vegetables for school lunch programs. The program started in 1998 and raised $1.1 million last year from 87 school districts statewide.

The calendar contest was open to public school students in kindergarten through 5^th grade. This year, there were a record 5,409 entries submitted from 59 counties.
The winning student from Polk County is Cate Brown, 5th grader at Polk Central Elementary.

Each winner received a gift card sponsored by the NC Farm to School Cooperative and the School Nutrition Association of NC. Prizes were awarded at a winner’s reception on May 16. School systems will receive a minimum number of calendars before the start of the school year. Copies will be available through NCDA&CS on a first-come, first-served basis. A printer-friendly version can also be found at www.ncfarmtoschool.com.

Submitted by Joseph M. Pitchford