PHOENIX, Oregon – Phoenix Talent Schools have just received a significant amount from the American Federation of Teachers. The grant was granted in response to the pandemic and devastating forest fires last year. The district said the money will help meet basic needs for the community, including food, shelter, water and toiletries for families in the district. The funding will also allow the Rogue Valley Farm to School program to expand to provide food to families in need. Christie Sanders, President of Phoenix Talent Schools Chapter 96, made the following statement: “The AFT Innovation Fund funding was a turning point for Rogue Valley Farm to School and the families of the Phoenix Talent School District. For nine weeks, Phoenix Talent families received boxes of fresh organic products every week. According to survey responses from families, 90 percent rarely had the opportunity to buy fresh organic products, mainly because of the price. The county council contact told us that the families loved having all the fresh food to eat and cook with. Often times, the plants in the box were harvested the day before they were handed over to the families – such a delicious treat! The boxes contained teaching materials in both English and Spanish and we loved getting the recipes back from the families who let us know what they did with the food they received! To Rogue Valley Farm to School, the support we received from our district staff was deeply touching and meaningful. We felt very honored and were so grateful that we were able to provide boxes from (early January) until the spring break, and families could count on receiving a box every week. Thank you for making it possible. Thank you again for the funding. We couldn’t have provided the families with food every week when they really needed it. The program also helped our local farmers – and the county families who work on our farms. “Copyright 2021 California-Oregon Broadcasting, Inc.
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