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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2018
www.nj.gov/agriculture
PO Box 330
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0330     

Contact:
Jeff Wolfe
P: (609) 633-2954
C: (609) 433-1785
E: jeff.wolfe@ag.nj.gov                

Tax Check-off and Donor Program Helps Students Access More Local Produce, Learn About Agriculture

(TRENTON) – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher today encouraged the support of farm to school initiatives through the Farm to School and School Garden Fund tax check-off and the Farm to School Donor Program.

“These are two unique ways that people can get involved in helping school students understand where their food comes from and increase consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables grown by local farmers,” Secretary Fisher said. “Through your generous contributions, we were able to award nine deserving schools with a total of $10,000 in grants from these funds.”

The Farm to School and School Garden Fund check-off can be found on Line 64, number 19, on the 2018 New Jersey State income tax form. The fund was established to allow taxpayers to donate a portion of their tax refund or make a contribution to help establish school gardens and purchase equipment and educational materials to promote students’ consumption of local produce.

The Farm to School Donor program encourages direct contributions from public and private sources to help fund the Jersey Fresh Farm to School Program. Earlier this month, nine schools were awarded Farm to School mini grants totaling $10,000 for a variety of Farm To School activities. The schools receiving the grants were: Canfield Elementary School, Minehill; Elms Elementary School, Jackson; Hamilton Primary School, Bridgewater; Lakeside Middle School, Millville; Newark Educators Community Charter School, Newark; Pace Charter School, Hamilton; Passaic Valley Regional High School, Little Falls; Sharon Elementary School, Robbinsville; and Washington Avenue School, Pleasantville.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture's Jersey Fresh Farm to School Program works to connect schools with New Jersey farmers to source more than 100 types of Jersey Fresh produce grown in the Garden State. Opportunities exist for New Jersey farmers to provide agricultural products to school food service departments throughout the growing season. Serving more local produce in school cafeterias not only supports local farmers but helps improve student nutrition, provides healthy options and nutrition education opportunities that will last a lifetime.

The Farm to School Program includes school garden activities, which teach students where food comes from by growing it themselves. Students benefit by learning the science behind farming and the nutritional values of fresh products and gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the environment. Educators can use school garden programs to teach any subject - math, science, language arts, health and nutrition, art or social studies. Farm To School Programs promote and create a sense of community for all involved.

For more information about the Jersey Fresh Farm to School Program, visit www.farmtoschool.nj.gov.

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To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA1 and @JerseyFreshNJDA.