USDA Makes Record-Breaking Investment in Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids’ Project Aimed at Strengthening Delaware’s Farm to School Support Network

Wilmington, DE, April 23, 2026 —Thursday, April 16, 2026, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids (HFHK) $294,390 through its Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant program. HFHK was one of 52 recipients chosen from among 645 applicants (an 8% success rate)—and the only recipient from Delaware—in one of the largest USDA financial investments in the history of the grant program. 

"Delaware's students deserve access to fresh, locally grown food that they grow themselves, and this award means we can reach more of them, in more schools, with deeper support than ever before. We're proud to carry forward the Farm to School mission here in the First State and grateful to USDA for this recognition of our work," says HFHK Executive Director Lydia Sarson.

This is HFHK's third—and largest—award from the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant program. HFHK was included in USDA's inaugural cohort of recipients when the grant program launched in 2012, and this latest award builds on momentum from HFHK's recent capacity-building grant from the Longwood Foundation.

HFHK will use USDA funding to strengthen Delaware's Farm to School network by piloting a comprehensive Tiered Program Support Model that improves the quality, consistency, and sustainability of its school garden education programs across the state.

As Delaware's premier school garden education provider, HFHK serves over 28,500 students enrolled at 68 schools across Delaware (96% public/charter, 4% private). HFHK currently trains and supports an onsite team of administrators, faculty, custodial and nutrition services staff to deliver "seed-to-cafeteria table" school garden programs — and students at those schools will benefit from increased HFHK staff presence as supported by the grant. Over the two-year grant period, HFHK will simultaneously expand its pilot structured support system to as many as 88 additional partner schools.