• http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/F2S/Default.htm USDA's Food and Nutrition Service Farm to School site. This online resource was formed to assist schools in starting or expanding their Farm to School activities; assist in the communication between farmers and schools; share information about Farm to School activities across the Nation; and keep you informed of the legislative and regulatory changes that influence Farm to School activities.
• Sources for Farm to School Funding on the Community Food Securities Farm to School web page
• Farm to School Guides for Parents, Community and Food Service Professionals
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• Bearing Fruit: Farm to School Program Evaluation Resources and Recommendations  is a comprehensive guide to Farm to School program evaluation with highlights of the overall impacts of farm to school for stakeholders—teachers, food service, farmers, parents, policy makers, and community—providing excellent resources and tools to incorporate when assessing a program.
• California Department of Education's Farm to School Program Resources
  
• Please help us complete this CA Farm to School Survey
• See more Farm to School Resources listed on the Fall 2009 Day 2 Training Page

• Bid Local - Local Farm Products Allowed in School Bids from the National Farm to School site. See more resources on Buying Local Food at www.farmtoschool.org
• Tips for Institutional Buyers from the Community Alliance for Family Farmers
• Grower's Collaborative Produce Distribution a project of the Community Alliance for Family Farmers that sources to the Central Coast, Bay Area, Sacramento and Southern California
• ALBA Organic's Produce Distribution a project of the Agricultural Land Based Training Association that souces to the Central Coast and Bay Area.
• LocalHarvest.org
• Food Hub A Comprehensive Catalog of Buyers and Sellers
• FarmsReach an online farm food marketplace that connects farmers to business buyers. Our mission is to help businesses source fresher and healthier foods.
  
• Department of Defense Program outlines how this program can provide fresh produce to National School Lunch Program participants.

Culinary Arts with Seasonal Produce

A closer look at Wake Up To Fresh Fruits and Vegetables and More Seasonal Sourcing Resources            

• Wake Up to More Fresh Fruits and Vegetables - www.wakeupfv.com  This website is a training resource for food service professionals, originally designed to support the incorporation of more fresh fruits and vegetables into school breakfast programs. Feel free to use in your own staff trainings! It is formatted in an engaging way to facilitate fast absorption of information. Show how to navigate through the parts of the website using “Module Menu” on the upper right corner. Also the myriad of links for each section found at the bottom of the screen in “An Array of Options.” Download Wake Up to FV Flyer
  

Food Distribution Program E-mail List - The CDE's Commodity Chronicles

If you would like to receive information related to the Food Distribution Program including newsletters, food alerts, and training opportunities, subscribe to the Food Distribution Program e-mail list by sending a "blank" message to join-fd-web@mlist.cde.ca.gov.

More Efforts Towards Creating a Healthy School Environment

• Vilsack Urges Congress to Pass Strong Reauthorization of Child Nutrition Act for Overall Health and Nutrition of America's Children View the 2/23/2010 Release
  
• www.letsmove.gov The First Lady's web site has info on providing healthier food in schools, including Team Nutrition and Healthier Challenge US  There are links for school wellness and the New IOM (Institute's of Medicine's recommendations for school meals and snacks) which will probably change school meals and snacks plans/guidelines over the next 3-5 years.
• The Food Research and Action Center Analysis: Nutrition Programs and Refundable Tax Credits in President Obama’s FY 2011 Budget http://www.frac.org/Legislative/budget_FY2011.htm
• Keeping Children Healthy In California’s Child Care Environments: Recommendations to Improve Nutrition and Increase Physical Activity (New Jun-2009; PDF; 5MB; 20pp.)
  This newly released executive summary provides policy recommendations guided by input from the Child Care Strategic Assessment Advisory Group. The aim of the policy recommendations is to create healthier preschool, child care, and after school environments.
• Building Infrastructure for Coordinated School Health - California's Blueprint provides recommendations and actions steps that can be initiated by state, community and business partners. This approach features eight interrelated components: health education; physical education; school health services; school nutrition services; school counseling; psychological and social services; a healthy school environments; and school-site promotion of health for staff.
•  USDA Announces $25 Million for School Food Service Equipment
• HealthierUS School Challenge Enter your school in this national contest
• Got Breakfast? Summer School Food Program Grants Deadline April 1, 2010

  Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Grants Available! Learn More