FoodCorps Announces New Partnership in Alabama

FoodCorps Announces New Partnership in Alabama

FoodCorps to Partner with Jones Valley Teaching Farm to Bring Food Education to More Birmingham City Schools

MEDIA CONTACTS:

For FoodCorps:
Rebecca Steadly, M+R 
rsteadly@mrss.com 

For Jones Valley Teaching Farm: 
Nicole Carpenter, Director of Development and Communications, JVTF
nicole@jvtf.org 

Birmingham, Ala., July 16, 2024—FoodCorps announced today its expansion into Birmingham, Alabama, where the organization will partner with Jones Valley Teaching Farm (JVTF) to support food education in the Birmingham City Schools public school district. 

“FoodCorps is thrilled to continue growing connections in the South through our new partnership with JVTF in Birmingham, Alabama,” said Dr. Robert S. Harvey, FoodCorps President and Co-CEO. “We’re inspired by JVTF’s legacy of sharing hands-on food education with young people, primarily Black youth, across the city. Together, we will build on JVTF’s transformative work so every child in Birmingham is a champion for nourishing food in their community.”

FoodCorps will support JVTF’s vision to ensure comprehensive food education for Birmingham students from elementary through high school. FoodCorps AmeriCorps members will reach 1,000 elementary school students with hands-on lessons about gardening, cooking, nutrition, and culture, while JVTF will continue its successful middle- and high-school food-based education programming. 

“Jones Valley Teaching Farm (JVTF) is thrilled to welcome FoodCorps to Alabama and as partners in providing food-based educational experiences to students at Birmingham City Schools,” said Amanda Storey, Executive Director of Jones Valley Teaching Farm.

“JVTF believes that all youth deserve to experience the joy, wonder, and awe that results when growing, cooking, and sharing food. For over 10 years, JVTF has worked in partnership with Birmingham City Schools to grow our Good School Food education model that engages over 5,000 students annually.

“FoodCorps’s expansion into Alabama and partnership with JVTF will allow an additional 1,000 Birmingham City Schools students to benefit from experiential learning opportunities. FoodCorps members will deliver a food-based curriculum, providing students with in- and after-school lessons and activities that promote curiosity, environmental stewardship, and nutrition education. Our partnership with FoodCorps will further our vision of communities inspired by food and transformed by youth.”

Alabama will be the nineteenth state (plus Washington, D.C.) where FoodCorps partners directly with schools through its AmeriCorps programming. 

About FoodCorps
FoodCorps partners with schools and communities to nourish kids’ health, education, and sense of belonging so that every child, in every school, experiences the joy and power of food. Our AmeriCorps members serve alongside educators and school nutrition leaders to provide kids with nourishing meals, food education, and culturally affirming experiences with food that celebrate and nurture the whole child. Building on this direct programming, FoodCorps advocates for policy change, grows networks, and develops leaders in service of every kid’s health and well-being. Our goal is that by 2030, every child will have access to food education and nourishing food in school. To learn more, visit foodcorps.org. 

About Jones Valley Teaching Farm
Founded in 2002, Jones Valley Teaching Farm is a Birmingham, AL-based non-profit organization that operates vibrant, student-centered Teaching Farms and the Good School Food education and apprenticeship model. Through hands-on lessons at JVTF Teaching Farms and the Center for Food Education, youth find joy in learning by using food, farming, and the culinary arts as a foundation for learning and environmental stewardship. The High School Internship and Apprenticeship continue the education and development of Birmingham City School youth and graduates, providing paid on-the-job training, mentorship, support services, and pathways toward careers and postsecondary education. The Center for Food Education connects these resources to the larger Birmingham community and state, serving as a statewide educational resource and destination and increasing JVTF’s overall reach and impact.

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