IMG_6671

The salad bar and garden grants from Whole Foods Market is helping get salad bars and gardens in schools across the country.

The more that kids know and feel connected to their food, the more curious they become about how things grow and taste – and they’re more willing to try new foods! You can help your children learn more about eating better by applying for a School Garden or Salad Bar grant!

Many schools have already received these grants, and the list grows each year. Check out the website below to learn how to apply!

School Garden Grant
Created in partnership with FoodCorps, the School Garden Grant program provides a $2,000 monetary grant to support an edible educational garden on the grounds of a K-12 school. Schools, or a non-profit organization working in partnership with a school, may apply.

Application Period Open: September 1st, 2016
Application Period Closed: October 31, 2016 at 5pm CST
Review Period: Winter 2016
Notification to All Applicants: February 15, 2017

School Salad Bars
A salad bar at school means kids have the choice of fresh vegetables and fruit for lunch 175 days each year. Kids with access to a salad bar in the school cafeteria not only put more fruits and veggies on their plates, they actually eat them! The CDC reports that kids with access to a salad bar consume three times more fruits and vegetables.

Salad bars are a viable component of a federally reimbursed school lunch. The cost for one freestanding, mobile salad bar grant is $2,625. This includes everything a school needs to get started: the bar, chill pads, pans and tongs. Each salad bar can serve a school for 10 years, which makes it incredibly cost effective!

You can apply for these two grants online by visiting https://www.wholekidsfoundation.org.

The Whole Kids Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded by Whole Foods Market.