Our Build Trybe program received a $50,000 Farm-to-School Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide education and support through its Seed to Plate program, which teaches youth about agriculture, healthy eating, and the culinary arts.

This is the second grant Build Trybe has received from the USDA. In 2021, the program received a similar grant related to its horticulture and culinary education. USDA’s Farm-to-School Grant projects create opportunities for children to learn about nutrition and agriculture through hands-on experiences, such as planting and harvesting fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

Many funded grant projects help children achieve nutrition security, which is consistent access to healthy, safe, and affordable foods essential to optimal health and well-being.

“We are grateful for the USDA’s renewed support of our Seed to Plate program,” said Cornerstones of Care President and CEO Merideth Rose. “The Farm-to-School Grant ties into our values of providing skills, knowledge, and nutritional sustenance.”

Build Trybe’s Seed to Plate program helped harvest more than 2,200 pounds of fruit and vegetables in 2022. The program provides nutrition education to youth in residential care and helps apprentices develop marketable culinary skills. Currently, the Seed to Plate program uses the produce from its gardens to help feed more than 250 youth in Therapeutic Day Treatment and Residential Treatment Programs.

This year USDA is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Farm-to-School Grant Program. Since the program’s inception in 2013, the department has awarded nearly $85 million in Farm-to-School Grants, funding more than 1,100 projects across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico. These projects have reached over 28 million students in nearly 65,000 schools.