ELMORE COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) – The Elmore County Child Nutrition Program has been awarded a $500,000 federal grant aimed at expanding the district’s ability to serve students fresh, Alabama-grown foods year-round.
District leaders say the funding, through a USDA Farm to School grant will be used to create a centralized agricultural processing hub inside the main kitchen where Elmore County School District meals are prepared.
The goal is to increase the district’s capacity to bring in local produce, process it efficiently, and store it for use beyond the state’s limited growing seasons.
“One big obstacle that we have with Alabama product is the growing season and the capacity that we have in our schools for processing agriculture product,” said Cacyce Davis, Director of Child Nutrition Programs for Elmore County Public Schools. “And that’s what this project is aiming to address. To give us the capacity to bring that product in, process it, and be able to have access to it throughout the entire school year.”
Elmore County already prioritizes sourcing from Alabama farmers, whether it’s collard greens from Lowndes County or lettuce from Auburn, but Davis says the new processing hub will allow the district to scale up what it can handle.
The district also hopes the hub can support neighboring school systems through partnerships.
Davis said Autauga County has already expressed interest in working with Elmore County on a shared purchasing and processing model.
“Autauga has already expressed their interest to partner with us,” Davis said. “So, Autauga County Child Nutrition Program might purchase peas from the same farmer that we purchase from, they get delivered from our kitchen, we process it for them.”
District officials say the expanded processing capability supports a broader push toward fresher, more local options; an effort they argue is directly tied to student success.
“In order for true learning to occur, in order for us to be really successful at what we’re trying to accomplish in our classrooms, we know that the basic needs of children have to be met first,” Davis said.
Davis added that Elmore County Public Schools currently offers meals to students free of charge, and the new hub is intended to support meals for all grade levels, from pre-K through high school.
The project is expected to roll out over a two-year implementation period. The next step is ordering equipment for the processing hub, with the district aiming to have it up and running within the next six months.
Additional matching contributions from Boozer Farms and the Elmore County Board of Education will bring the total project investment to more than $650,000.
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