The Henry Ford Shines Light on Need for Free, Regeneratively Grown, In-Season School Lunch with Farm to School Lunch Across America this October

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan is building a coalition of culinary experts, world-renowned chefs, farmers, food advocates and policymakers to bring focus to the need for free, accessible, regeneratively-grown school lunches for schoolchildren across the country.

To further amplify the need for farm fresh school lunch, the nearly 100-year-old institution is taking its mission and message on the road with Farm to School Lunch Across America this October, which is national Farm to School Month.

"Throughout its history, The Henry Ford has made it a priority to educate its guests, students and communities on the importance of eating farm-fresh, local and in-season food," said Spence Medford, Senior Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer for The Henry Ford. "We believe this coalition will not only amplify the national conversation around the need for free, regeneratively grown school lunches for all schoolchildren across the country, but shine a light on farmers, who through smart agricultural practices, are positively impacting the environment."

Farm to School Lunch Across America is a pilot program, funded in part by Ford Philanthropy, that will highlight schools that are doing extraordinary work in the farm to school space. Each school will host a school lunch made possible by farmers and chefs within that district or community who prepare meals with a "from soil to plate" philosophy.

Farm to School Lunch Across America will impact seven schools in six cities across the country including: Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn Michigan on October 1; The Mixter Institute for Transition in Lincoln Park, Michigan on October 4; The Academy for Global Citizenship (Garfield Ridge Neighborhood) in Chicago, Illinois on October 8; The William Ray Elementary School (Hyde Park Neighborhood) in Chicago, Illinois on October 9; Minneapolis School District in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 10; Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California on October 28 and Michelle Obama Middle School in Richmond, California on October 29.

The Henry Ford announced Farm to School Lunch Across America as a Commitment to Action at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Annual Meeting. 

For more information about The Henry Ford and Farm to School Lunch Across America, please visit thf.org/farmtoschoollunch.

About The Henry Ford
Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford, a globally recognized destination, fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts that represent the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness in America. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. Together with its online presence at thf.org and Invention Convention Worldwide, the growing affiliation of organizations fostering innovation, invention and entrepreneurship in K-12 students, The Henry Ford is a force for inspiring every individual to innovate, create and invent.

About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Founded by President Bill Clinton in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative is a community of doers representing a broad cross section of society and dedicated to the idea that we can accomplish more together than we can apart. Through CGI's unique model, more than 10,000 organizations have launched more than 4,000 Commitments to Action — new, specific, and measurable projects and programs – that are making a difference in the lives of more than 500 million people in 180 countries.

SOURCE The Henry Ford