As a furloughed fed, I haven't received a full paycheck since Sept. Our tightened family budget is now razor thin, there's nowhere else we can cut. In an effort to feel like I'm still part of something worthwhile, I've been volunteering at our local food pantry these days. It's a labor of love.

Pope Leo XIV: "I often wonder, even though the teaching of Sacred Scripture is so clear about the poor, why many people continue to think that they can safely disregard the poor." "Dilexi te"

I may be on furlough as a fed, but that doesn't mean the work of #FarmtoSchool stops cold!! Spent the morning volunteering and teaching local students how to butcher and process farm-raised chickens.

It was a total blast running into the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy @iatp.bsky.social at #FarmAid in Minneapolis! Even better!? Learning about all their #FarmToSchool work in the Homegrown Village 🌱 www.iatp.org/farm-school-... @farmaid.org

How will a government #shutdown impact #SNAP benefits? @fracposts.bsky.social has the answers. CORRECTED LINK: share.google/FI3rb0STzI1c...

How will a government #shutdown impact #SNAP benefits? @fracposts.bsky.social has the answers.

Hanging out with a fiery skipper -- an under-rated native butterfly!! -- while gardening this freaking gorgeous afternoon.

🌱 #FarmtoSchool is helping outdoor agriculture classrooms sprout in #Ohio! “This microfarm provides students w/ hands-on learning around sustainable farming practices, #nutrition, and producing food for the community,” says Brent Herdman, Food Service Director at River Valley Local Schools. [1/2]

So stinking happy to meet @reana.bsky.social in real life and see her in action at the Home Grown Village seed swap!! #FarmAid40

I ran into one of my Midwest #FarmtoSchool grantees at the Homegrown Village!! #FarmAid40

#FarmtoSchool USDA team is (unofficially) at @farmaid.org 🌽😍 #FarmAid40.

🍅 #FarmtoSchool and #STEM programs are making a huge impact for students in #Indiana! Students of James A. Garfield School 31 in Indianapolis are building new #schoolgarden beds, weeding existing ones, and planting seeds and small plants. [1/x]

OMG I leave tonight for @farmaid.org !! 😍🌽🌱 A bunch of us USDA #FarmToSchool staff are going so we can celebrate sustainable ag and have some JOY and be around the folks we love to work for -- small and family farmers!!

The strip between our house & the alley used to be turfgrass, dead of all life. Over the past 10 years I've turned it into a #pollinator strip & now it's BRIMMING with life!! Bees, insects, & gorgeous bright wildflowers right in our tiny yard as a lifeline to our wild friends 🐝☀️🌱 #NativePlants

🥗 #FarmToSchool connects students ⏩ local farmers ⏩ healthier school meals!! This spring, Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools (PLSAS) served up Sloppy Joes made with Minnesota-raised beef, paired with a garden bar featuring local romaine lettuce and pea shoot microgreens. [1/x]

[early settlers tripping and falling face-first into precisely managed complex agricultural systems] “Is this…a pristine wilderness?!?”

🥕 #FarmtoSchool helps #preK students learn about where their food comes from and experience #agriculture hands-on!! 📸 Anya Sczerzenie / DN-R More: lnkd.in/ga5NdNX8 #agsky #edsky #preksky

My #pollinator strip is very purple rn with spiderwort and wild blue indigo showing off #nativeplants #gardensky 🐝

The canceled farm-to-school grant would’ve "created a network of learning gardens and urban farm sites that can address food insecurity through local procurement and nutrition education for their students as well as their families and the broader community," said Mary Jo Wilson.

Farm fresh food is making a BIG difference in #schoolmeals in Indiana! Mooresville Community School students love the sloppy joes made with high-quality beef from Fischer Farms Natural Foods, potato chips from Broad Ripple Chip Co., and sweet corn fresh from the fields of Garwood Farms!! #agsky

Spotted a new native tonight on the trails: Butterweed!! 🥰

“ #FarmtoSchool allows students to bridge the gap between the farm & fork. It’s an amazing feeling knowing that I'm able to help make an impact on young people!” In Barnesville, Minnesota, family owned & operated Rickford Ranch takes great pride in selling beef to families & 2 local schools.

Excited for our 1st weekly delivery from Hole in the Woods Farm in Culver, #Indiana! Chad & Xenia have been growing food w/ care & purpose since '08. Certified Naturally Grown since '10, their commitment to stewardship extends beyond the fields.

“What this means from a bigger picture is that people are not going to have access to as much local food, and our farmers are already going into debt.” –Sadie Willis, network coordinator for Wisconsin’s Fairshare CSA Coalition.

"We're incredibly grateful for our #FarmtoSchool partners, who see the value in what we do & incorporate our #turkey into menus year-round. We love seeing all of the creative ways our turkey is served to #Minnesota students, alongside other local ingredients."  [thread 1/x]

Thank you @reana.bsky.social and Black Rabbit Apothecary for my new facial oil! Ingredients straight from her farm and her herbalist training means only the best for your skin. In love. Support and shop small!

Guess what I'm doing while I'm off duty, using my personal cell, not in a gov building, & NOT acting in an official capacity whatsoever? I'm freaking advocating to protect the programs I believe in so damn much I've built my entire career around them. Am I exhausted? Yes. Will I stop? HELL NO.

Are you passionate about fighting #hunger & helping families put food on the table? Does your #faith call you to #EndHungerNow!? Follow @bread4theworld.bsky.social ASAP. I've been a dedicated activist & member for years & proudly served on their Board of Directors. Bread gets things DONE. 💪🏼

Pray. Act. Give.

Are you passionate about fighting #hunger & helping families put food on the table? Does your #faith call you to #EndHungerNow!? Follow @bread4theworld.bsky.social ASAP. I've been a dedicated activist & member for years & proudly served on their Board of Directors. Bread gets things DONE. 💪🏼

So much is out of my control as a federal employee right now. Doing my best to focus on my work, my grantees, & my States -- doing what I'm able, when I'm able. My Sunday afternoon of much needed self-care was repotting, moving around, & fiddling with my indoor plants 🌱 Working to find my peace.

The new "Insights Into the Stories of 10 Cents a Meal Farmers" report shares stories of #smallfarms across #Michigan who participate in the 10 Cents a Meal program. www.canr.msu.edu/resources/in... #FarmtoSchool [Thread]

What does #FarmToSchool look like across the U.S.? Typically, a farm to school program focuses on 1 or more of 3 core areas: #schoolgardens, #agriculturaleducation, and the procurement of #localfoods. Learn more and see how you can get YOUR school involved: lnkd.in/gegNRJQF #agsky #schoolsky

I lost a lot of really good friends today at the USDA. Too many. The country has lost dedicated public servants who live and breathe our work. We only want to HELP people. To serve our country. My heart hurts. It hurts so damn much.

Make sure to give @chefannfoundation.bsky.social a follow. Chef Ann believes & promotes whole-ingredient, scratch-cooking that enables schools to serve the healthiest, tastiest #schoolmeals so that kids are well-nourished & ready to learn. Scratch-cooking and #FarmtoSchool go hand in hand!!

#FarmToSchool is a joy-filled space. We are planting seeds for our collective future and having a blast while doing it. 🥕 Our work supports local food systems and #producers, #farmers, and #ranchers ALL while helping #students learn about healthy #nutrition and where their food comes from!!

Check in on your friends who are federal employees. We aren't ok. Not by a longshot.

"Materials move through ecosystems in a circular economy and are constantly transformed. Abundance is created by recycling, by reciprocity... Abundance is fueled by constantly circulating materials, not wasting them." Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Serviceberry

👀 #Foodpolicy affects us all. Free breakfast and lunches for kids in school, #SNAP benefits for the #disabled and those suddenly without a job, #veterans struggling to put food on the table for their children. Legislation will move fast. Have Congress on speedline. Stay informed. Amplify.

#DYK that since 2013, the USDA #FarmtoSchool Grant program has awarded $100 million to 1,275 projects across the U.S.?! Farm to School is growing in exciting ways🌱 Learn more about the grant awards by grantee & project type & location via a new report & data dashboard: lnkd.in/gPdEH4tK #agsky

Today, I spent MLK Day helping my sons' old intermediate school get their #FarmtoSchool #compost program up & running. Excited to help these 4th & 5th graders learn what a HUGE difference composting their school's #foodwaste will make. Just think of all they will discover this year! So fun.

FRAC -- Food Research & Action Center is on 🦋 the sky 🎉 Welcome @fracposts.bsky.social! Give them a follow if you are passionate about #foodpolicy, #foodsecurity, #advocacy, and fighting #hunger!!

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours 🌲❄️🥂

Made 10 dozen kiflis for Christmas with my husband and sons, and honestly I've never felt more Hungarian. 🥹🇭🇺

Bethel Park Elementary in Indianapolis is taking #FarmToSchool to the next level in #Indiana. The center of the school opens into a massive school garden and farm, expertly tended by the school's Farm to School Coordinator, Zach Thomason.

Starter pack of policymakers who work in the environment, climate, nature, agriculture and food space. Hope to help connect academics and journalists up with the people who are making policy and advising Govt directly. Let me know if you're a policymaker and want to be added! go.bsky.app/BqDPT3S

Wishing I was back here pretty major right now. Can I just get lost in the wetlands today instead of approving reports for work pretty please.

" #Hunger is at the forefront" of global conflicts worldwide, making it a " #nationalsecurity issue" that requires the help of all countries involved. - Cindy McCain, Executive Director of The World Food Programme www-cbsnews-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.cbsn... #foodsecurity

I travel from the Dune Park Station to downtown Chicago once a week on the South Shore and the improvements Mayor Pete made possible have made the commute so much smoother! Always gonna be #TeamPete. He'll make an awesome president someday.

“We are excited to... connect schools and emergency food organizations with nutritious food from local farmers and producers... Families can feel good knowing their kids are eating food that was grown right in their own community.” www.ams.usda.gov/press-releas... #farmtoschool #LFSCC