Launch the media gallery 1 playerFarm to School Program
USD 350 Farm to School Donation Program
The St. John-Hudson School District’s Farm-to-School Donation Program is designed to help the district save costs and provide students with locally sourced food for school lunches. It will also provide a mechanism for farmers and ranchers to give tax deductible donations to the school district.
Beef Donations
Local producers and supporters are committed to bring healthy, nutritious, and flavorful beef to the students of St. John-Hudson Schools. This program will provide educational components to help students understand the nutritional value of beef as well as an understanding an important part of our local economy.
Donations of beef will save the school district money in the food service program. USD 350’s food service program is more efficient than most in Kansas but it is not self-sufficient. General fund dollars are used to supplement food service operations. Any donations will help offset those costs and allow those funds to be directed to better serve the learning needs of kids in the classrooms.
Our goal is to get commitment to the program that would sustain this effort. We estimate a need for 6 animals per year and roughly $3,000 annually for processing costs.
Donations:
Ways to be involved in the program include:
- Beef producers can sign a commitment letter to donate a quality animal. You will receive a receipt for your donation that may provide tax incentive.
- Monetary donations can be made to the St. John-Hudson USD 350 Community Educational Foundation for the Farm-to-School Program. The purpose of monetary donations would be to cover processing costs related to locally donated meats and nutrition education expenses.
- Donations of other locally sourced food can be accepted.
Student Benefits:
- High quality, locally raised beef and other foods for lunch.
- Opportunities to learn about nutrition and lifelong healthy eating habits.
- Gain an understanding of the importance of agriculture in our community and our world.
School Benefits:
- The school will increase its offering of beef for school lunches. Proceed beef will be in the form of ground beef and patties. It’s important to note that serving sizes will not be effected by this program; those are set by the state.
- The program will provide students an opportunity to see firsthand the impact of local agriculture on our community.
- The money saved by the program will allow district funds to better serve the learning needs of kids in the classrooms. There might also be opportunities to update kitchen equipment to allow for more from-scratch cooking, increase the ability to purchase more locally raised fresh vegetables, or be used to update the cafeteria with newer tables and furnishings.
- Before the F2S donation program was implemented, the average transfer from the general fund to supplement the food service fund was about $19,600 in a given year. Since implementation, the average transfer is only about $7,400.
Beef Donation
Farmers and ranchers may donate an animal to be processed for ground beef and ground beef patties. The school district is bound by specific regulations, so coordination with school personnel is important.
Procedures:
USD 350 will coordinate a time for harvesting an animal
The Farmer/Rancher will deliver animal for processing
USD 350 will arrange for pick up and payment of the processing. Individuals may decide to cover the cost of processing or donate cash to help with processing costs.
USD 350 provides the farmer/rancher with documentation of the donation for tax purposes
A banner will be hung in the cafeteria to advertise the program and recognize donors. Donors may choose to remain anonymous. As a token of thanks, USD 350 will provide a Family Activity Pass to those who donate an animal in this program.
Other Locally Sourced Food or Donations
USD has the capacity to receive donations other locally-sourced food for our cafeteria. If you have interest in this, you may contact one of the individuals below.
Contact Information
Community Donation Coordinators: Leah Alpers, (620) 546-4093 & Tyler Alpers, (620) 791-7601
USD 350 Superintendent: Josh Meyer, (620) 549-3564
USD 350 Food Service Director: Sondra Davis, (620) 549-3564
