Farm to School Program
Our 2024-2026 Farm to School Program is all about feeding curiosity about food, where it comes from, and how it’s grown. We’re bringing Mahwah Public Schools to Fresh Roots Farm and bringing the farm to the schools with hands-on learning in our elementary school gardens.
Timeline
July 2024
Awarded USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant
MEVO received an implementation grant from the USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program, our first USDA award. With our existing relationship to Mahwah Public Schools, we set out to get both students and the schools’ food service providers thinking critically about local-grown food.
September 2024
Program Launch with Mahwah Third Graders
Every third grade class from Mahwah’s three public elementary school came to Fresh Roots Farm for a day on the farm learning about What a Plant Needs to Grow, Pollinators, Seeds and Dispersal, and Compost. MEVO’s Program Educator Lauren and Executive Director Violet attended the Farm to School Grantee Conference in Nebraska.
Winter 2024-25
Building Beds
We built raised garden beds for Lenape Meadows and George Washington Elementary Schools and restored the existing raised garden bed at Betsy Ross Elementary School.
Spring 2025
In-Garden Education
Our third graders came out to learn about seeds and how they grow. They planted beets directly in the beds and sowed cell trays with other seeds, then came back to harvest beets and plant the sprouted plants.
Summer-Fall 2025
Young Growers’ Series
We hold free workshops for school-age children throughout the summer to continue inspiring creative thinking about food. These included Preparing for Fall Gardening, Buzz and Bloom, Farm to Table Salsa and Pesto, and Garden Natural Remedies. Meanwhile, we maintained the raised gardens, leading up to our cafeteria taste tests with students to try out their school-grown produce!
Beyond 2025
Local Lunches
As we better understand the growing conditions at each school’s raised garden beds, we aim to harvest enough produce for the school lunch providers to incorporate into cafeteria lunches. We also hope to invite high school students into the garden maintenance process.
