Acting Deputy Under Secretary Lipps kicked off National School Lunch Week on Monday with a visit to Eagle Academy Public Charter School (PCS) in Washington, D.C., where he ate with the students and toured their school garden.

National School Lunch Week occurs as USDA continues to celebrate Farm to School Month, intended to focus attention each October to celebrate partnerships between schools and farmers to introduce local produce into lunchrooms and classrooms. Eagle Academy PCS received a USDA Farm to School Grant in 2017, which helped bring locally-grown produce directly to the lunchroom. “Farm to school gives schools the flexibility to serve appealing, seasonally-available foods, raised by local farmers,” Lipps said. “It is also a great tool for educating students so they understand that these nutritious foods are grown by America’s farmers.”