Press Release

The Henry Ford Announces Farm to School Lunch Initiatives Including Endowment for Henry Ford Academy's Lunch Program

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and Ford Motor Company Fund committing lead gifts totaling $1.5 million

(Dearborn, Mich. – Sept. 18, 2023) — For nearly 100 years, The Henry Ford has been a champion of innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness, using its expertise and unparalleled collections to inspire all to create a better future.

Bridging history with innovation, the institution is expanding its education initiatives that focus on the importance of food, agriculture and the environment with the announcement of a Farm to School Lunch Across America program and an endowment for Henry Ford Academy's locally-sourced farm to school lunches. The announcement was made by The Henry Ford's President and CEO, Patricia Mooradian, at the institution's Carver-Carson Society's Moveable Feast held this year in Greenfield Village on September 17 and featured actor and activist Jane Fonda, chef and farm-to-table pioneer Alice Waters and historian Douglas Brinkley.

"The Henry Ford is activating its mission and collaborating with a wide-variety of thought leaders and influencers to address the issues of climate change, nutrition and accessibility," said Mooradian. "We are using our collections and historic expertise to help advocate for free, accessible, locally-sourced and cooked from scratch school lunches for every student in America, starting with our own students at Henry Ford Academy. Our farm to school lunch program will now be endowed in perpetuity and perhaps be a model for institutions across the country."

The Henry Ford announced a fundraising goal of $7 million to endow the school lunch program for its Henry Ford Academy, the public charter high school that educates 500 9th--12th grade students on its campus. The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is committing a gift of $1 million to this endeavor while Ford Motor Company Fund is donating $500,000 to help launch the Farm to School Lunch Across America initiative, a national program during October Farm to School Month in 2024, serving schoolchildren, teachers, and families a nutritious and delicious meal sourced locally and regeneratively. Conceptually, this advocacy effort will focus on the importance of healthy and in-season lunch programs for K-12 students and involve schools across the nation through programming and assemblies.

"The Community Foundation congratulates The Henry Ford for leading the farm-to-school lunch program," said Ric DeVore, president, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. "We have long supported food access programs in southeast Michigan, and we believe The Henry Ford initiative has the potential to not only improve health outcomes for participants and their families, but to teach others about the power of sustainable food systems."

Henry Ford Academy partners with a dozen local farms and organizations to serve its students in-season regional food every day.

"More than 34 million Americans including 9 million children face food insecurity," said Mary Culler, president of Ford Fund. "That's why we're so proud to build on our longstanding partnership with The Henry Ford to transform access to fresh, healthy food for school children across the country."