The University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) Field & Fork Campus Food Program was awarded a $5,000 grant this week from the Alachua County Farm Bureau Federation to bolster the program’s mission of food security for all of UF.
The grant will be used to assist the Field & Fork Farm and Gardens, where UF students learn to grow nutritious food in a production setting. The Alan and Cathy Hitchcock Field & Fork Pantry, where food-insecure members of the UF community can receive food staples, will benefit indirectly from the grant via the seasonal produce grown at the farm.
Alan Hitchcock, a UF CALS alumnus and one of the pantry’s namesakes; Anna Prizzia, Field & Fork program director and campus food systems coordinator; and CALS Dean Kati Migliaccio received a grant check from Alachua County Farm Bureau Federation President Richard Feagle on Thursday at the Field & Fork Farm and Gardens.
“This grant will help us continue our mission of feeding the Gator Nation and teaching the next generation of farmers about the importance of food security,” said Hitchcock. “Access to quality food is a fundamental need for everyone.”
The Alan and Cathy Hitchcock Field & Fork pantry opened on UF’s campus in 2015 and distributes an average of 160,000 pounds of fresh and non-perishable food and hygiene items per year.
Prizzia said the generous grant from the Florida Farm Bureau Federation will help to train the future problem-solvers and decision-makers who will lead everything from national food policy to industry producers.
“We believe in a hands-on approach and teach our students about the importance of food security by helping them understand food from the ground up – from the seed to the plate,” she said. “Having a highly educated food industry workforce starts in the field.”
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The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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