Napa Unified’s Donaldson Way Elem. Celebrates Farm to School Month

Napa Valley Unified School District’s Donaldson Way Elementary hosted a Farm to School Month celebration Friday. The event was held in partnership with the Center for Ecoliteracy’s California Food for California Kids Network which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The organization supports schools to serve more fresh and local school meals and provide food education for students.

The event invited students to gather in the garden to study plant life cycles. Young people took turns grinding wheat, and guessing how many seeds are in a tomato. Students also experienced the bounty of their school garden as they made and enjoyed pizza together using garden-grown tomato sauce.

The California Food for California Kids network has grown to over 140 school districts serving 2.3 million students throughout California. With a decade of experience in transforming school meals, the California Food for California Kids Network shows that while change takes time, sourcing local fruits and vegetables is a proven strategy to accelerate district-wide farm to school programs.

New data shows student participation in California’s free “School Meals for All” program increased by 42 million meals in the 2023–2024 school year. California was the first state in the nation to provide all transitional kindergarten to 12th-grade public school students with universal school meals, guaranteeing free school breakfast and lunch for all students, regardless of socioeconomic status. With this progress, it is more important than ever that school districts prioritize relationships with California farmers, source local fruits and vegetables, and prepare delicious meals that students love.