Texas Border Business
Funds will Grow Farm Production and Access for over 30,000 Students
WESLACO, TX—Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $93,058 in federal funds to IDEA Public Schools in Weslaco as part of the Department’s Farm to School Grant program. This implementation grant will enable IDEA to create its “Garden in a Box” toolkit which helps the schools promote the Healthy Kids Here initiative and increase student participation in farming and gardening. This is the second grant IDEA has received from the program.
“I am pleased to see the USDA fund the creation of a program that expands students’ access to fresh, local foods,”Congressman Gonzalez said. “The Rio Grande Valley hosts a vibrant farming and ranching community and it is crucial that students at Idea Public Schools in Weslaco and across the Valley gain a better understanding of a sector that is so important to our regional economy.”
The Healthy Hunger‐Free Kids Act of 2010 authorized and funded the establishment of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School Program. The Farm to School Program provides grants and technical assistance to eligible entities as they implement farm to school programs that improve access to local foods.
