Farm to School Lunch Across America
The Henry Ford’s Farm to School Lunch Across America is an initiative to amplify the importance of farm fresh, seasonal meals for schoolchildren across the United States. By building a coalition of culinary experts, world-renowned chefs, farmers, food advocates and policymakers, The Henry Ford is bringing focus to the need for free, accessible, regeneratively grown school lunches made from locally sourced, in-season ingredients.
This October, which is National Farm to School Month, The Henry Ford is taking its mission and message on the road to seven schools in six communities across the nation.
Farm to School Lunch Across America is funded in part by Ford Philanthropy.
Our Vision
The Farm to School Lunch Across America program aims to:
- Build coalitions around the need for locally sourced, in-season, regeneratively farmed and free lunches for K-12 schoolchildren across America, leading to long-term positive change in school lunch meals.
- Educate students and their communities on the importance of eating local, seasonal and nutritious meals and how this can positively impact the environment.
- Encourage the procurement of food directly from farmers and producers who take care of the land and their workers.
Our Impact
Throughout October 2024, The Henry Ford’s Farm to School Lunch Across America program will connect students and communities with the local farmers and chefs that take their food from dirt to plate through a series of impact experiences.
Starting right at home at Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, Michigan, then reaching from California to Illinois, this program will provide special chef-created, locally sourced, cooked-from-scratch lunches to students at seven schools across the country. Each meal will feature in-season, locally sourced ingredients and be tailored to the diverse communities where the schools are located.
Students will also be invited to participate in special assemblies and community farmers markets that bring together students, farmers and chefs, as well as local fresh food resources.
 | "We believe this coalition will not only amplify the national conversation around the need for free, regeneratively grown school lunches for all schoolchildren across the country, but also shine a light on farmers, who through smart agricultural practices are positively impacting the environment." |
Participating Schools:
- Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, Michigan, on October 1
- The Mixter Institute in Lincoln Park, Michigan, on October 4
- The Academy for Global Citizenship (Garfield Ridge Neighborhood) in Chicago, Illinois, on October 8
- The William H. Ray Elementary School (Hyde Park Neighborhood) in Chicago, Illinois, on October 9
- Minneapolis Public Schools, Minnesota, on October 10
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California, on October 28
- Michelle Obama Middle School in Richmond, California, on October 29
Get Involved
Interested in learning more or participating in The Henry Ford’s Farm to School Lunch Across America? Please reach out to:
Christy Sherding, christys@thf.org
Director of Donor Relations + Engagement and Edible Education Initiatives Leader
Spence Medford, spencem@thf.org
Senior Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer
Made Possible by
