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CC - CONSENT ITEM: Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Culver City Unified School District and the Culver City Education Foundation to Apply for the Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) Grant in the Amount of $500,000.
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Meeting Date: January 8, 2024
Contact Person/Dept: Wallis Nash/Public Works - Environmental Programs & Operations Division
Phone Number: (310) 253-6445
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (01/03/2024)
Department Approval: Yanni Demitri, Public Works Director/City Engineer (12/21/2023)
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Culver City School District (CCUSD) and Culver City Education Foundation (CCEF) to apply for the Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformations in Schools (PLANTS) grant in the amount of $500,000.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The PLANTS grant is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture Food & Nutrition Service Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative and administered by Chef Ann Foundation in Partnership with Kitchen Sync Strategies Collaborative, Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, and National Farm to School Network. A total of $4.8 million will be awarded to eight projects, each award will be approximately $500,000 to $600,000. The performance period of this grant is April 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027.
This grant program has a multi-pronged focus: to build and strengthen relationships between community-based food system stakeholders, improve school food supply chain coordination, increase awareness of access to K-12 markets among small- and mid-scale and historically underserved food producers, expand scratch cooking operations in K-12 schools, and establish a sustainable approach and best practices.
The grant requires lead agencies to have at least two partner agencies. The lead agency is the CCUSD with Culver City and CCEF as the two partner agencies. This funding would allow CCUSD to integrate farm fresh produce into their meal offerings. CCUSD intends to invite local farms as collaborators. In addition to integrating local producers from a production aspect, it would also be an opportunity to teach the students about nutrition, visit farms, and learn about food production.
The City’s contributions to this project will include assisting in establishing connections to food producers in the Farmer’s Market, throughout the City, and the larger Southern California network. This project is in alignment with the City’s commitment to reducing the carbon footprint, source reduction, and organic recycling.
FISCAL ANALYS
This grant would have no fiscal impact on the City. CCUSD would receive all grant funding, and no matching or local funds are required to receive this grant.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Culver City, CCUSD, and CCEF.
MOTIONS
1. Approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Culver City School District (CCUSD) and Culver City Education Foundation (CCEF) to apply for the Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformations in Schools (PLANTS) grant in the amount of $500,000;
2. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.