Farm‑to‑School coordinator reports expanded gardens, local purchasing and grant uncertainty

Jenny Flowers, the district’s farm‑to‑school coordinator, presented an end‑of‑year report to the Urbana SD 116 board detailing school garden activity, university partnerships and local food purchases.

Flowers said district facilities installed aluminum “Find the School” garden signs and that garden coordinator positions increased across schools, with several coordinators sharing duties across sites. She described collaborations with University of Illinois graduate students and faculty who provided raised beds, curriculum ideas and summer maintenance help, and she said university undergraduates will again support garden work this summer including at the high school.

Flowers credited a local distributor partnership and grant funding for enabling local purchases: "we were able to put local food most of the year," she said, noting burgers, yogurt and other items were served. She said Local Food for Schools (LFS) grant funding runs through January 2026 but that a follow‑on federal grant cycle has been canceled, which could reduce the district’s ability to buy large quantities of local food after that date.

Students and garden coordinators showed short video clips and described hands‑on projects — planting zucchini and okra, testing water pH, and using tower gardens in winter months. Flowers said city and community grants are pending and, if approved, would fund garden coordinators’ stipends. Board members praised the program and asked about recruiting more students to middle and high‑school garden classes; presenters said coordinators advertise workdays and after‑school clubs to build participation.

The presentation closed with an offer to answer questions; board members thanked Flowers and her team for the year’s work.