Latest news with #LocalFoodforSchoolsandChildCareCooperative
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Despite USDA cuts, Preston County Schools says school lunch program will continue
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — As federal cuts continue to be announced across the country, organizations like Preston County Schools are still trying to figure out how to keep their food programs afloat after cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) were announced two months ago. 12 News spoke with Justin Hough, the Director of Child Nutrition for Preston County Schools, who said the school system will continue to provide students with fresh, locally sourced options, despite no longer having the estimated $25,000-$30,000 it was expected to get this year. That number is a fraction of the $3,770,060 the West Virginia Department of Education said it was supposed to receive this year for the Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative program. That money would have been divided between the school food budget, which would have received $2,727,150, and the child care budget, which would have received $1,060,910. These cuts are still intact despite the state's recent moves to make healthy eating a priority. 'It is very difficult to hear 'We want to move to a healthier option, but we're taking away the funding for that healthier option.' Do we have items that meet the categories and meet the requirements that the USDA puts out for our schools' meals? Absolutely, we do, but we don't want to give the minimum on that, we want to be able to give these kids, you know, the best options,' Hough said. 46% of West Virginia households fall below threshold of financial survival, data says Hough said Preston County Schools is part of a purchasing cooperative with other districts, so an option being looked at now to keep costs down is to do a produce bid as a co-op instead of individually, allowing vendors to offer the schools the lowest potential cost. Hough said another way to keep costs down was to reduce waste as much as possible through things like making sure 100% of the item is used in a variety of ways. 'What we're looking at doing is actually putting a two-week cycle menu, so essentially we'll have the same nine to 10 days just rotating throughout the month, as well as offering additional cook's choice options,' Hough said. There will be a cooperative meeting on Thursday where a vote will be held on whether or not to put out a bid together or continue individually. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How recent USDA cuts will affect West Virginia farmers
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — West Virginia farmers are bracing for impact after the USDA announced more than a billion dollars' worth of cuts this week, which eliminated funding to two programs. One of which would have given nearly $4,000,000 to schools to buy locally grown and raised food. The two programs in question are the Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative Agreement Program (LFSCC), which provides funds for schools and child care centers to buy locally grown food, as well as the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which provides similar funds to places like food banks. The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) told 12 News in a statement that it was poised to receive $3,770,060 this year for the Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative program. That would have been divided between the school food budget, which would have received $2,727,150 and the child care budget, which would have received $1,060,910. The statement read in part: These funds represented 100% allocation for West Virginia products. There would not have been any overhead, administrative costs, or any miscellaneous costs. These are true dollars that would have benefitted West Virginia farmers. This money was in addition to the standard meal reimbursements that schools receive. The Commodity Credit Corporation had been tapped many times since the pandemic to provide extra funds for school meals as they grappled with supply chain challenges and high prices– which of course continue now and are expected to increase. West Virginians may have been exposed to measles, health officials say The WVDE was sent a termination notice letter by the USDA dated March 7, 2025, with the reason for termination being that 'AMS (Agricultural Marketing Service) has determined this agreement no longer effectuates agency priorities and that termination of the award is appropriate.' The letter also said that 'Local Food for Schools (LFS) agreements that were in place prior to LFSCC will continue to be in effect for the remainder of the period of performance.' 'Where you're seeing a lot of the frustration is this is really damaging because farmers have already invested their time and money into creating these products that now don't have a market so it could be potentially devastating to a small business,' WVU Extension Public Health Specialist and Director of SNAP-ED WV Kristin McCartney said. It's still unknown how big of an effect this will have on local farmers who have relied on these partnerships, like ones with food banks, for years. LFSCC-Termination-Notice-West-Virginia-Department-of-EducationDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
