Friends of Great Kids Farm, Inc. is a nonprofit organization created to support, promote and enhance the programming at Baltimore City Public Schools’ Great Kids Farm and the district's Farm to School (F2S) programming. Friends works with City Schools to bring students to the Farm, a 33-acre urban farm with a stream, woods, fields, and greenhouses, providing students hands-on opportunities to connect farm and plate, reinforce curricular concepts, strengthen environmental literacy, and promote healthy habits for the whole child.

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Baltimore City Public Schools' Farm to School (F2S) program promotes experiential education that connects students to nature and food systems. In every grade band, our programs and services focus on three core areas: (1) food education for lifelong healthy habits, (2) nature-based exploration for wholeness and academic enrichment, (3) food system engagement for active citizenship, leadership development, and career skills. Meaningful F2S experiences are transformative for students’ academic success and their social, emotional, and physical wellness. Additionally, they empower youth to understand, engage with, and co-create their food system in ways that can improve food security and sovereignty, while also preparing youth to be systems thinkers and social changemakers.

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Friends raises awareness of the Farm's many contributions to Baltimore City students and raises funds to support its activities. The Farm's programs help kids to:

• Eat well and enjoy nutritious foods

• Learn rigorous academic content

• Experience the joy of learning and the peace of nature

• Develop career skills to help them lead healthy, successful lives

• Connect with and preserve their natural environment

 

Since its inception in 2011, Friends has raised well over $1 million for the Farm. These funds have resulted in educational materials, a work truck, student intern stipends, student transportation to the Farm, student summits, a fence to protect crops—and much more.

 

During the 2018-19 school year, more than 2,200 students visited the Farm, with thousands more benefiting from the distribution of produce, curriculum, and living educational materials to teachers, allowing them to replicate Farm experiences in their classrooms.

 

Learn more about how you can contribute to the health, well being, and academic success of Baltimore City students through support of Friends of Great Kids Farm.