Mid-Hudson and New York City Regions Awarded in Round Three; Two Future Additional Rounds of the Program Will Reach All Regions of New York State
Program Provides Total of $50 Million Over Five Years To Help Improve School Kitchens; Facilitates Preparation of Fresh, Scratch Made Meals for Students Using New York Farm Products
State Awarded $450,000 USDA Grant To Provide Culinary Training in Schools for Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Recipients, in Collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America, To Encourage the Use of More Locally Sourced Foods
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that $10 million has been awarded to two projects through round three of New York’s Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program.
Projects in the Mid-Hudson and New York City regions were awarded $5 million each to improve meal preparation and distribution for Kindergarten through Grade 12 students using local agricultural products.
First announced in the Governor’s 2023 State of the State, the program will provide a total of $50 million over five years to eligible applicants in all ten regions of New York State to facilitate the on-site processing and preparation of fresh, nutritious meals; increase the use of more healthy, local New York food products; and provide a boost to New York farmers.
The Regional School Food Infrastructure program builds on New York’s many programs that prioritize local foods in schools, including tools to help school districts procure and purchase farm products from local producers, ensuring that New York remains New York’s first and best customer.
“Ensuring our students are eating nutritious, local food means that they will be more ready for their day of learning and playing and that our farmers have a reliable market for their products,”Governor Hochul said.“By funding this $50 million program, the State is making a critical investment in our children, reducing food insecurity, and supporting our farmers.
Having just celebrated a milestone of our universal school meals program of 275 million free school meals served, the Regional School Food Infrastructure program, alongside New York’s other farm-to-school programs, is working to make sure that those meals are sourced locally and prepared from scratch.
I congratulate the awardees and look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition.”
Administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program is providing critical funding for schools to aggregate, store, process, and prepare farm products, making it possible to cook fresh, nutritious, scratch-made meals for schoolchildren.
The program also encourages workforce development by providing training to schools, communities and students for culinary arts, food processing, safe food handling and storage, logistics, delivery, and more based on community need.
The projects awarded in round three are:
The Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCESproject will establish a Regional Food Processing and Workforce Development Hub.
This shared-use regional food infrastructure project will address critical gaps in processing capacity, workforce readiness, and distribution that limit institutional procurement of New York State-grown and processed food in the area.
Plans include the construction of a state-of-the-art food processing training facility that includes both an educational building and a shared use of a new modular kitchen, as well as a refrigerated truck to facilitate last-mile delivery of processed products to the partner schools.
The modular kitchen will be equipped with a configuration of commercial-grade processing equipment to support hands-on instruction and credentialed workforce development.
The educational building will provide classroom space for instruction in food safety, nutrition and local procurement practices, basic kitchen training areas for hands-on skill development and inventory management systems, as well as dry storage and standalone cold and freezer storage units to support farm participation and improve overall supply chain efficiency.
The KIPP NYCproject will fund the development of the KIPP NYC Culinary Institute, a South Bronx-based Farm-to-School hub with centralized storage and production facilities, last mile logistics and fresh meal delivery capacity, and a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen.
This project will allow for a shift from case-based purchasing to palletized procurement directly from New York State producers.
Beyond the immediate impact of incorporating more NYS products and more schools into its successful scratch cooking model that feeds thousands of students across NYC, the Institute will provide students and the community with multiple other benefits, including workforce development for hundreds of Career Pathway culinary students and student employees each year.
Professional development for 100 KIPP NYC culinary team and hundreds of partner district staff will also be provided, including an annual summer conference and monthly workshops; space for community events, classes, farmers’ markets and a year-round food pantry supporting the highest need families in the community.
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A.
Ball said, “The projects funded through the Regional School Food Infrastructure program so far are truly creating a lasting impact on the schools and communities they are serving.
I am so pleased to see this third round of projects awarded in New York City and the Hudson Valley, which will strengthen our food system, support critical workforce development opportunities and provide delicious, healthy and locally sourced meals to our students while supporting our farmers.
I congratulate the awardees and thank Governor Hochul for her support of this program.”
Culinary Team of KIPP: NYC Senior Managing Director Michael Loli said, “We are thrilled to receive this grant and are poised to maximize its impact by broadening and deepening our reach throughout our region — more nutritious meals to more students with more New York State products, while providing robust career pathway opportunities and community engagement.”
Education and Sustainability Center for Environmental Education at Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES Assistant Director Daniel Novak said, “This grant will help thousands of students and families across our region.
It reflects the power of what can happen when education, agriculture, and community partners come together around a shared vision.
PNW BOCES, along with our local farmers, school districts, CCE, and other wonderful partners, will have the opportunity to increase access to fresh, locally produced food while building meaningful pathways for workforce development.
This investment advances our commitments to wellness, sustainability, and community resilience, ensuring that students benefit from healthier food today while helping prepare the leaders, innovators and skilled professionals who will strengthen New York’s food system tomorrow.”
In each of the five rounds of the program, two regions will be awarded $5 million each, until all regions are awarded. Funding from thefirst round of the programwas awarded to projects in the North Country and in Western New York, and projects on Long Island and in Central New York were awarded in thesecond round.
Complementing the goals of the Regional School Food Infrastructure program, the State was awarded $450,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture to implement the New York Farm-to-School Training Initiative, a culinary training program, in collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America, for each of the RSFI awardees in all ten regions of the State.
The New York Farm-to-School Training Initiative is a new project that will enhance the capacity of school food officials to successfully use locally sourced foods in districts across New York State.
The project will deliver one comprehensive training event in each of New York’s 10 economic development regions in partnership with awardees of the Regional School Food Infrastructure Program, targeting approximately 300 school food service directors, managers, and staff in total.
These workshops will provide hands-on culinary training, procurement guidance and agricultural education to strengthen farm-to-school programs, increase local food sourcing, and promote student health and engagement with New York’s agricultural systems.
New York State Education Commissioner Betty A.
Rosa said, “New York’s Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program is an investment in both student success and the economic vitality of communities across New York.
By expanding access to locally sourced, nutritious meals, this program helps students learn and thrive while strengthening local agriculture and supporting job growth.
I commend the Department of Agriculture and Markets for its leadership in administering this vital program and Governor Hochul for securing this important funding, which will help ensure that students and communities alike can thrive.”
New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar H.
Samuels said,“Every day, we proudly serve more than 850,000 free meals that our students count on.
This commitment by Governor Hochul is helping us raise the bar by bringing more fresh, locally sourced ingredients from New York farms into our schools and onto students' plates.
It also provides our dedicated food service professionals with valuable culinary training and strengthens their expertise.
By investing in our kitchens, our workforce and local agricultural partners, we are building a stronger, healthier future for New York's youngest.”
State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “New York farmers produce some of the best food in the country, and we should be doing everything we can to get that healthy food onto the plates of students, while investing in the local businesses that grow these exceptional products.
The Regional School Infrastructure Grant Program is essential to that goal, and this latest funding round will bolster our food system and expand the infrastructure schools need to source directly from producers.
Congratulations to the school districts that will benefit from these important grants and to everyone committed to connecting the dots between farm and table.”
Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, “The Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program helps schools and community institutions expand their capacity to serve fresh, locally grown food while creating opportunities for New York farmers.
By investing in the infrastructure needed to process, prepare, and distribute locally grown products, this program strengthens local food systems and promotes student nutrition.
With this latest round of funding reaching two additional regions, these investments are making a lasting impact in communities across almost every corner of the state.”
Bronx Borough President Vanessa L.
Gibson said, “Access to healthy, nutritious meals plays a critical role in a child's ability to succeed both inside and outside the classroom.
This investment in the KIPP NYC Culinary Institute will help expand access to fresh, locally sourced food for students while creating educational and workforce development opportunities that benefit young people across our borough.
By strengthening connections among our schools, the local food system, and community partners, this initiative will help build a healthier, more equitable future for the Bronx.
Thank you, Governor Hochul, for your continued commitment to investing in our students and supporting innovative solutions that create lasting impact.”
New York's successful Farm-to-School programconnects schools with local farms and food producers to strengthen local agriculture, improve student health and promote regional food systems awareness.
Through the program, the Department of Agriculture and Markets provides financial, technical and promotional assistance to schools, farms, distributors and other supporting organizations to bring more local, nutritious, seasonally varied meals to New York students.
The30 Percent New York State Initiativefurther facilitates the provision of healthy New York sourced food products to children as part of their lunch meal in school.
The initiative increases the reimbursement schools receive for lunches for any district that ensures their school lunches are made up of at least 30 percent eligible New York produced and processed products.
The Department of Agriculture and Markets took the lead on the program as part of Governor Hochul’s 2022 State of the State commitment to better connect farms and schools across New York.
Since then, the program has seen increased participation from school food authorities, with a total of 82 school districts approved to receive enhanced reimbursement during this school year, up from 73 approved for reimbursement last year.
In total, more than $13.5 million was spent on New York agricultural products during the 2024-2025 school year by schools applying for the incentive.”
The FY 2027 Budget builds on the work of these programs to support farmers, strengthen New York’s agricultural industry and build a more resilient food supply in New York State.