Agriculture Secretary Announces $1.5 Million To Improve Youth Access To Fresh, Healthy Foods And Ag Education

HARRISBURG, PA – At the PA Farms to Families Immersion Lab at the PA Farm Show Monday, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced $1.5 million in awards to schools and ag education programs through the PA Farm Bill 2022-23 Farm to School and Agriculture and Youth Grant Programs. Keystone Central School District CTC was listed as receipt of $7,500.

Nearly $1 million in Ag and Youth grants were awarded to youth organizations to promote development in the areas of agriculture, community leadership, vocational training, and peer fellowship. Nearly $536,000 in Farm to School grants were awarded to improve access to healthy, local foods and increase agriculture education opportunities for children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

“Young people are the future of Pennsylvania agriculture and their teachers, programs, field trips, and access to fresh foods frame their relationship with and understanding of ag,” said Redding. “This $1.5 million will spark new interests in farming by connecting students to agriculture education, while also improving access to nutritious foods.”

Since 2019, Governor Tom Wolf has invested nearly $4 million to support and grow hundreds of farm to school programs and ag and youth programs through the PA Farm Bill.

The Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation earned a $25,000 grant to upgrade their successful mobile ag lab.

“This grant will help the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture replace one of our Mobile Ag Ed Science Lab Trailers, said grant recipient Charlene Espenshade, Executive Director Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation. “This grant helps to reduce our program overhead and keeps this program affordable for schools across the state. Since this program’s inception nearly 20 years ago, more than 1.5 million students have learned about the power of agriculture in their everyday lives.”

In their third year earning Farm to School grant program funds, West Perry School District was awarded $11,837 this round to continue progress with their fourth grade program. The West Perry project works to teach agricultural science concepts, expose students to local farms, and raise awareness of farming as an exciting and viable career. Educators do this through tailored and engaging lesson plans in their classrooms and field trips in collaboration with the LEAF ProjectOpens In A New Window.

“West Perry School District is fortunate to engage our students in learning science authentically in many ways—including the lessons made possible by the Farm to School grant and our partnership with the LEAF project,” said Michele Dubaich, assistant superintendent at West Perry School District.” The Agriscience Adventures project that our students and teachers will benefit from will include materials and lessons that address science standards and culminate with a visit to The LEAF farm in Landisburg, Pennsylvania located in our district’s footprint.”

The 2022-23 Agriculture and Youth matching grant awards list is as follows:

Adams County
Upper Adams School District, $25,000
Littlestown Area School District, $25,000

Allegheny County
Manchester Academic Charter School, $20,000

Berks County
Goggleworks Center for The Arts, $25,000
Kutztown Area School District, $10,000

Butler County
Butler Area School District, $25,000
Butler Farm Show Inc., $12,500

Clarion County
Wolf’s Corners Recreation Association, $25,000

Cumberland County
Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation, $25,000

Erie County
Northwestern Community Youth Center, $22,614
Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network, $14,883

Fayette County
Fayette County Career & Technical Institute, $25,000
Maple Bottom Farm, $8,611

Huntingdon County
Southern Huntingdon County High School, $10,000

Indiana County
Penns Manor Area School District, $25,000
Marion Center Area School District, $21,581
River Valley School District, $12,500

Juniata County
Juniata County Agricultural Society, $20,000

Lawrence County
Wilmington Area School District, $25,000

Montgomery County
Temple University, $24,500

Perry County
Greenwood School District, $25,000

Washington County
California Area School District, $25,000
Trinity Area School District, $21,579

York County
4-H Clubs of York County INC., $12,249

The 2022-23 Agriculture and Youth direct grants awards list is as follows:

Allegheny County
Bethel Park School District, $7,500
Highlands School District, $7,500
YMCA Of Greater Pittsburgh, $5,500

Armstrong County
Lenape Technical School, $7,370

Beaver County
Pennsylvania State University, $6,820
Big Beaver Falls Area School District , $3,071
Rochester Area School District, $7,500

Berks County
Conrad Weiser Area School District, $6,000
Berks County Conservation District, $7,500

Blair County
Spring Cove School District, $7,500
Williamsburg Community Farm, $3,914
Williamsburg Community Junior Senior High School, $7,500

Bradford County
Athens Area School District, $7,500

Bucks County
The Pennsylvania State University, $7,005

Cambria County
Admiral Peary AVTS, $7,500

Centre County
The Pennsylvania State University, $7,500
The Pennsylvania State University, $7,500

Chester County
Octorara Area School District, $7,500
Chester County Intermediate Unit, $7,500
Oxford Area School District – High School, $6,825
Chester County Economic Development Foundation, $6,500
Chester County Future Farmers of America, $7,500

Clarion County
The Pennsylvania State University, $3,150

Clearfield County
DuBois Area Catholic School, $7,500

Clinton County
Keystone Central School District CTC, $7,500

Cumberland/Dauphin County
Harrisburg University, $7,153

Dauphin County
Friendship Community 4-H Club, $7,500
Hershey Gardens, $6,511
Blessed to Give, Inc, $5,880

Delaware County
Williamson College of the Trades, $7,500
Delaware County Education Foundation, $7,000
Chester Upland School District, $7,500

Erie County
The Pennsylvania State University, $7,500
The Pennsylvania State University, $5,850
Union City Area School District, $7,482

Fayette County
East End United Community Center, $7,465
Fayette County Career & Technical Institute, $7,399

Franklin County
James Buchanan High School, $7,500
Waynesboro Area School District, $5,000
Chambersburg Area School District, $1,500
Healy-Schaefer Horsemanship, $4,602

Huntingdon County
Juniata Valley School District, $7,397

Indiana County
Marion Center Area School District AG Program/FFA, $7,500
ARIN Intermediate Unit 28, $7,500

Jefferson County
Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living, $7,500
Brockway Area School District, $7,500

Lancaster County
The Edible Classroom, $7,500
Eastern Lancaster County School District, $4,720
Lancaster Mennonite School, $1,310

Lebanon County
Eastern Lebanon County School District, $4,080

McKean County
Pennsylvania State University, $6,481
Otto-Eldred High School, $7,500

Mifflin County
Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology, $7,464

Monroe County
Pocono Organics LLC, $7,500

Montgomery County
Variety-the Children’s Charity of the Delaware Valley, $7,500
Stewart Middle School, $2,000
Temple University, $7,500
Trellis for Tomorrow, $7,400

Montour County
Danville Area High School, $7,500

Perry County
Newport School District, $7,500
LEAF Project, Inc., $7,500

Philadelphia County
Saul Supporters, $7,500
The Urban Creators, $7,500.00
Empowered Community Development Corporation, $7,500

Tioga County
Wellsboro Area School District, $7,500
RB Walter Elementary School, $6,000

Warren County
Warren Forest Higher Education, $7,500

Washington County
Trinity Area School District, $7,500
California Area School District, $7,500

Westmoreland County
Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette, Inc., $7,500
Southmoreland Senior High School, $7,500

Wyoming County
Northern Tier Industry & Education Consortium (NTIEC), $7,500

York County
Eastern York Highschool, $7,043
Dover Area High School, $7,500
Glenn Hope Care Farm Inc, $7,500

Statewide
Dairy Excellence Foundation, $7,500

The 2022-23 Farm to School grant awards list is as follows:
Adams County
Gettysburg Montessori Charter School, $2,250

Allegheny County
Elizabeth Forward School District, $15,000
Manchester Academic Charter School, $14,850

Beaver County
Riverside Beaver County School District, $1,268
Big Beaver Falls Area School District, $5,417

Berks County
Tulpehocken Area School District, $15,000
Kutztown Area School District, $15,000
Hamburg Area School District, $15,000
Schuylkill Valley School District, $15,000
Conrad Weiser Area School District, $10,000
The Children’s Home of Reading, $15,000

Bradford County
Northeast Bradford School District, $6,000

Bucks County
Bucks County Intermediate Unit, $14,898

Butler County
Seneca Valley Academy of Choice, $14,085
Haine Middle School, $14,085

Centre County
The Learning Station, $14,700

Chester County
Owen J Roberts School District, $15,000
Avon Grove Charter School, $6,500
The Children’s Treehouse Early Learning Center, $10,525
Avon Grove School District, $5,908
Unionville Chadds Ford School District, $3,058
Great Valley School District, $7,500

Cumberland County
Saint Patrick Parish and School Charitable Trust, $7,740
Big Spring School District, $15,000

Dauphin County
Susquehanna Township School District, $10,268

Erie County
Elk Valley School District, $15,000
Early Connections, Inc., $8,589.66

Fayette County
East End United Community Center, $15,000

Greene County
Carmichaels Area School District, $10,655

Lancaster County
New Holland Early Learning Center, $15,000

Lawrence County
Pre-K Kids Learning Center, $11,677.50

Lebanon County
Annville-Cleona School District, $15,000
Eastern Lebanon County School District, $15,000

Lehigh County
Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley, $15,000
Seven Generations Charter School, $10,715

Mifflin County
Sacred Heart of Jesus School, $8,400

Monroe County
Pocono Mountain School District, $5,052.13

Montgomery County
Colonial School District, $13,110
Upper Dublin School District, $4,995

Perry County
West Perry School District, $11,837.50
Newport School District, $5,300

Philadelphia County
Hope Partnership for Education, $15,000
Methodist Services, $15,000

Pike County
Wallenpaupack Area School District, $15,000

Schuylkill County
Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29, $15,000

Tioga County
Wellsboro Area School District, $2,000

Washington County
California Area School District, $12,924

Westmoreland County
Queen of Angels Catholic School, $12,000

Full lists of grant awards are available for Ag and Youth and Farm to School. For more information about the PA Farm Bill, and investments to support Pennsylvania agriculture, visit agriculture.pa.gov/pafarmbill.