Elmore County School District awarded $500K USDA grant for farm-to-school hub in Wetumpka

Amanda Pevey

Elmore Autauga News

Elmore County School District will use a $500,000 farm to school grant through the USDA to launch a regional Farm to School Processing Hub in Wetumpka to expand year-round access to Alabama-grown foods in school cafeterias.

The new hub is designed to solve a common challenge for both farmers and schools. Many Alabama farmers struggle to sell directly to school systems due to frequent delivery demands, limited cold storage, and short harvest windows. At the same time, school districts often lack the capacity to wash, process, and store large quantities of fresh produce.

District leaders say the centralized facility will help bridge that gap.

Using a district-owned kitchen, the hub will wash, blanch, cool, seal, and freeze locally grown products, allowing schools to extend the use of fresh produce beyond peak growing seasons. Initial processing will focus on collard greens, peas, and corn, with plans to expand offerings as new partnerships with local farmers are established.

The project also includes a sub-award to Boozer Farms, which will purchase pasteurization and aseptic packaging equipment. That investment will allow the farm to produce shelf-stable, 100% fruit puree products for use in K–12 meals.

School officials say the initiative not only improves food access for students but also creates new, consistent markets for local farmers.

Officials say the effort represents a long-term investment in both student nutrition and the local agricultural economy, strengthening the connection between farms, schools, and the broader Elmore County community.

For more information about the grant, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a press release available at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/newsroom/fns-0001.26?fbclid=IwdGRjcAROH8pleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeB7jbK07VGphhOwOH4H_OCjLTVs5PvhMmPa0VEohdd3QTEGMRFFBeDd4w90M_aem_q0FjJRCmyYtiK_pDSnnPGQ.