The Baldwin County School District has been awarded a $100,000 implementation grant for its “Baldwin Grows” farm-to-school program by the United States Department of Agriculture. Only three grants were awarded in the state of Georgia.

“Our school nutrition director, Susan Nelson, and Wellness Coordinator, Aketi Mayweather, have been working tirelessly to get our farm-to-school program started,” said Superintendent Dr. Noris Price. “This grant will help implement school gardens in our school district and give our students hands-on experience and exposure to the billion dollar agricultural industry here in Georgia.”

“It has been a lot of work to get to this point but we are very excited to continue our school garden initiative with this grant,” said School Nutrition Director Susan Nelson. “We have come a long way in just a year and the excitement that we see from our students, staff and the entire community show us our focus on agriculture is going to be well worth it.”

Baldwin Grows is a collaborative partnership between the Baldwin County School District, local universities, UGA Extension Services, FoodCorp, local farmers and community stakeholders known as the Baldwin Grows Farm to School Action Committee.

The goals of Baldwin Grows is to enhance academic achievement, promote healthy lifestyles, and support local sustainable food systems through the Baldwin Grows Learning Lab garden project. This project will help students develop an interest in agri-business, expand existing local school-based garden efforts, and use the gardens to enhance our districtwide STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) initiative.