WINTERS
USDA, Thompson, Garamendi announce $23 million for local foods in school meals
This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Under Secretary Jenny Moffitt and Reps. Mike Thompson and John Garamendi and Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry announced a cooperative agreement with California for more than $23 million to increase our state’s purchase of nutritious, local foods for school meal programs.
Through the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), California Department of Education (CDE) will purchase and distribute local and regional foods and beverages for schools to serve children through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. These products will be healthy and unique to their geographic area, with the goal of improving child nutrition and building new relationships between schools and local farmers.
“School lunches are vital to the health and success of students in California. Nutrition plays a key role in school lunches and our local producers are the backbone of providing the food necessary to maintain this system,” said Thompson.
“I am excited to see the USDA making a $24 million investment in California’s farmers and in the well-being of our children. I’ve fought for years to ensure nutritious, American-grown food is the foundation of our school lunch programs nationwide. This program is a big step in that direction, helping California schools support the local producers who’ve helped make our state the fruit and vegetable capital of the world,” said Garamendi.
“This cooperative agreement supporting California schools is another example of how USDA is working to build a more resilient food system rooted in local and regional production,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program provides an opportunity for states to strengthen ties between local farmers, ranchers, food businesses and schools, and gives students access to nutritious foods unique to the area they live in, building stronger connections across local communities.”
“California is thrilled to receive over $23 million in local assistance funding from USDA for our schools operating the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. As the first state in the nation to adopt a permanent Universal Meals Program for our students, this funding aligns with the historic investments California is making to transform schools and ensure every public school student has access to not only a nutritious breakfast and lunch each school day, but also meals that are minimally processed, delicious, culturally relevant, California-grown and sourced from historically underserved producers” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
For more information on USDA’s work to support school meal programs visit USDA Support for School Meals page at https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/usda-support-schools-chart
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The American Pickers are excited to return to California! They plan to film episodes of The History Channel hit
television series throughout your area in January 2023.
AMERICAN PICKERS is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique “picking” on The History Channel. The hit show follows skilled pickers in the business, as they hunt for America’s most valuable antiques.
They are always excited to find sizeable, unique collections and learn the interesting stories behind them.
As they hit the back roads from coast to coast, the Pickers are on a mission to recycle and rescue forgotten relics. Along the way, they want to meet characters with remarkable and exceptional items. They hope to give historically significant objects a new lease on life while learning a thing or two about America’s past along the way. The Pickers have seen a lot of rusty gold over the years and are always looking to discover something they’ve never seen before.
They are ready to find extraordinary items and hear fascinating tales about them.
American Pickers continue to take the pandemic very seriously and will be following all guidelines and
protocols for safe filming outlined by the state and CDC. Nevertheless, they say they are excited to continue reaching the many collectors in the area to discuss their years of picking and are eager to hear their memorable stories.
The American Pickers TV Show is looking for leads and would love to explore your hidden treasure. If you or
someone you know has a large, private collection or accumulation of antiques that the Pickers can spend the
better part of the day looking through we would love to hear from you! Please note, the Pickers do not pick
stores, flea markets, malls, auction businesses, museums, or anything open to the public. If interested, please
send them your name, phone number, location, and description of the collection with photos to:
americanpickers@cineflix.com or call (646) 493-2184.
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