(Caption for Photo: <p>The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s <a href=”https://www.pa.gov/services/pda/apply-for-the-farm-to-school-grant” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>Farm to School Grant</a> program offers up to $15,000 per school, and the award can cover no more than 75% of the project cost. Credit for Photo: Courtesy of (Project PA)</p>)

(Reported by Danielle Smith, Keystone News Service)

(Philadelphia, PA) Improving school meals while supporting farmers is the focus of the Pennsylvania Farm to Child Nutrition Summit on Wednesday (6/17). Organizers say schools and food producers are facing mounting challenges, including budget constraints, staffing shortages and supply chain issues. ElaineMcDonnell with Project P-A says the one-day summit brings together child nutrition leaders, educators, food service providers and community partners to exchange ideas, build connections and share strategies that can be applied locally. Over 2-thousand schools participate in the Farm to School program and it reaches more than a million students in Pennsylvania, according to the U-S Department of Agriculture. Wednesday’s event takes place at Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia.