The Lawrence school district has earned a $100,000 federal grant that will fund a bakery at Community Connections at Pinckney.
The bakery will help “to engage with the local food system by prioritizing the use of local grains, enhance child nutrition programs, and provide job training for students with disabilities,” according to a news release from the district on Wednesday.
“The next year will be spent purchasing and installing the necessary equipment, developing recipes, procedures, and hiring a bakery manager,” Julie Henry, the district’s director of nutrition and wellness, said in the release. “The staffing for the bakery will be paid from the savings realized from baking products in-house.”
The school board voted to close Pinckney as an elementary school after the 2022-23 school year, but the building now houses programs including the Community Transition (C-Tran) program.
C-Tran provides independent living and workplace skill building for young adults ages 18 to 21. The bakery will provide job training for students with disabilities in collaboration and consultation with a local baker, according to the release.
The project will create opportunities for local grain producers and farmers, as well, according to the release.
“By integrating locally sourced grains into school meals, the project will support local farmers, ensuring a stable and expanded institutional market for their products,” according to the release. “The Nutrition and Wellness Department commits to purchasing a minimum of 51% of grains from small and mid-sized local and regional producers.”
The grant is a Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Kansas Department of Agriculture.
“Grant project activities will include the procurement and installation of specialized bakery equipment, collaboration with professional bakers, and solicitation of additional Farm to School grain-producing partners,” according to the release. “This grain procurement will become part of USD 497’s annual Farm to School process for requesting and selecting proposals to partner with local farms and producers to purchase beef, fruits, and vegetables to serve students. These partners also support nutrition education programs for our students.”
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