By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

FRANKFORT, Ky. — As spring gardening begins, those who enjoy fresh produce can’t wait to get started.

Unfortunately, many people, including young children, don’t have steady access to local fresh foods. A provision in the 2008 farm bill, however, is serving to remedy that situation to an extent by way of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP.)

The initiative is administered by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and offers elementary schools across the nation the ability to apply for grants to be used to provide fresh produce to their students.

According to information from the USDA, “section 19 of the National School Lunch Act requires that schools with the highest free and reduced price enrollment be given priority for participation in the FFVP. This is the key selection criterion, which ensures that the program benefits low-income children that generally have fewer opportunities to consume fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis.”

The program is administered on a state by state basis through their respective departments of education.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) recently announced it was seeking elementary schools to participate in the program for the 2010-11 school year.

A press release issued by the department noted that Kentucky has been “allocated $1,842,089 for use during the period beginning July 1, and ending June 30, 2011. At a minimum of $60 per student over the course of the year, approximately 30,701 students can be served through the program.”

Lisa Gross, spokesperson for KDE said the program was a big hit in this, its first year in Kentucky and she expects the same for the next school year.

“We had a great response to the FFVP this year and will likely see a strong response next school year,” she said.

According to information from the KDE, schools will be selected based on guidance and oversight by the USDA. Criteria for schools to participate in the program include:

•Schools must have 50 percent or more of their students eligible for free/reduced-price meals.
•To the maximum extent possible, highest priority will be given to schools with the highest percentage of low-income students.
•Schools must be elementary schools or have the ability to separate out elementary students in a K-12 program.
•Schools must operate the National School Lunch Program.
•Schools must complete an annual FFVP application.

Denise Hagan, who serves as the division director for Nutrition and Health Services within the department, said the program provides nutritional food, that is sometimes more expensive than lower quality foods, to many children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to get it.

“When these schools are awarded the money, they have to serve these foods outside of the breakfast and lunch times. So it could be given as an a.m. snack or one in the afternoon,” she said. “They also have to provide nutrition education to the students. One thing we look at when we evaluate the applications is, we are looking for schools that have extremely high percentages of kids who receive free and reduced meals. We start at the very highest percentage first and work our way down.”

Hagan also said they encourage school systems to seek out their produce for the program from local sources when possible.
In Fayette County, nine schools received grants for the 2009-2010 school year. Michelle Coker, food service director for Fayette County Public Schools said the program has received great reviews from participating schools.

“We do this two days a week and the schools really look forward to it. They know on Tuesdays and Thursdays fruit and veggies are coming,” she said. “We started out by giving each classroom a bushel basket and we fill that basket every Tuesday/Thursday. Some of the classes even had competitions where they decorated their baskets and had a contest to see which one has the best looking.”

Coker said that along with the food, educational material is sent along as well, including information about a particular fruit or vegetable that teachers may not be familiar with.

“The teachers have really taken this and run with it, having incorporated it into their training and teachings. We have encouraged them to try fruits and vegetables they may not be used to,” she said. Also, the intake on the serving lines for the fresh fruits and vegetables has gone up. This is a really neat program and we have enjoyed it.”

Applications for participation in the program are due to the KDE by May 1, with an announcement of awards coming no later than June 1, said Hagan.

Interested schools should download the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Handbook, which provides basics of the grant requirement. The handbook can be found at www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/FFVP/Resources/FFVPhandbookFINAL.pdf

The grant application is located at http://nhs.ky.gov Funds will be available when school starts in August, and awarded school districts must enter into a written agreement with KDE according to the agency.