PEABODY — YMCA of Metro North is one of 17 recipients of the Massachusetts Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health (FRESH) grant program, crafted to help school districts and childcare centers grow their understanding of where their food comes from and how it is grown.
The Peabody-based company received $6,200 from the grant program, part of a $300,000 award split between the 17 recipients. State and local officials announced the grant allocations during a tour of the South Shore YMCA in Hanover last week. Grant funds can be used for a variety of purposes, including purchasing kitchen equipment, training kitchen staff, training educators and other school staff on how to incorporate lessons about the food system into their curriculum, and for infrastructure and programming activities, like school gardens, that teach students about agriculture, food production, and distribution.
“By giving students the opportunity to learn about nutrition, where food comes from, and how to prepare it, we are able to start them on a path toward lifelong health,” said Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler in a statement. “These grants are a great opportunity to bring learning to life and allow even more Massachusetts students to get hands-on food education.”
The funding “encourage[s] existing National School Lunch Program and Child and Adult Food Care Program sponsors to prepare nutritious meals from scratch while educating students about the ingredients, where they come from, and how they are produced,” the statement read.
Gov. Maura Healey said students learning more about their food and where it comes from can positively impact their long-term health.
“Our administration is proud to award these grants to schools and child-care centers across the state to support their efforts to expand opportunities for students to learn about nutrition,” she said.
“Building the capacity of schools to offer healthier meal choices and teaching children about those choices will improve students’ health now and well into their future,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll added.
