EHPS Awarded CT Dept. of Agriculture Farm to School Grant
East Hartford Public Schools, in partnership with Sodexo Food Services, has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 CT Grown for CT Kids Grant through the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. The district will be awarded $50,000 to put toward expanding and strengthening our Farm to School Program.
This program, led by Sodexo’s District Dietitian Carolyn Pancarowicz, supports our school gardens, our cafeteria local food taste tests, and other food and nutrition education. The district plans to use this grant to supplement food trips to local farms, to enhance our school gardens to make them accessible to more East Hartford families, and to purchase equipment to process and store locally purchased foods.
"Overall, this additional funding will ensure this important work of improving access to healthy, local produce and educating students on where our food comes from is sustainable into the future," said East Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Anderson.
The Department of Agriculture received 106 applications with 88 deemed eligible after an administrative review, totaling more than $5.3 million in requested grant funds. Each entity was able to apply for up to $50,000 and selection was highly competitive. East Hartford’s was one of 53 projects chosen for funding.