Did you know there are two special October observances that support learning, nutrition and health? In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a joint proclamation with Congress designating the second full week of October as National School Lunch Week to champion the importance of a healthy school lunch in a child’s life and the impact it has inside and outside of the classroom.
In 2010, Congress officially established October as Farm-to-School Month to promote the importance of farm-to-school activities in helping to improve child nutrition, support local economies and connect youth and communities with the source of their food. In North Carolina, Governor Stein proclaimed October 2025 as Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month.
National School Lunch Week is an opportunity to remind everyone about the benefits of school meals and recognize our dedicated school nutrition professionals. School nutrition programs across the state are using innovative strategies to offer appealing, nutritious meals featuring creative recipes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, low-fat dairy and locally grown foods.
North Carolina school nutrition professionals also provide nutrition education, promote school wellness and support social emotional learning. School nutrition programs truly make a difference for students.
Farm-to-school helps students, school staff and families learn more about how food is grown, harvested, transported, prepared and served. Cultivating and enhancing knowledge of and connection to food can foster healthy habits for a lifetime. In addition, interactive farm-to-school education engages students, enhances curricula and learning, improves academic performance and explores future career opportunities.
During October, youth and adults are encouraged to taste and learn about North Carolina-grown fruits and vegetables with their schools, organizations, families and communities as part of the NC Crunch, an initiative that encourages North Carolinians to “crunch” into local produce.
The NC Crunch is also an opportunity to recognize and thank all those involved in feeding our youth and communities and making farm-to-school happen, our #NCFarmtoSchoolHeroes. Furthermore, students, school staff and families are asked to enjoy school meals, celebrate National School Lunch Week and recognize our #NCSchoolNutritionHeroes.
To show their support for school meals and farm-to-school, the NC State Board of Education took an NC Crunch photo during their October meeting. Additionally, NC State Board of Education Chair Eric Davis and State Superintendent Mo Green recorded video messages encouraging participation in school meals and farm-to-school and recognition of National School Lunch Week and Farm-to-School Month.
During his strategic plan tour visits across the state, Superintendent Green also visited NC producers involved with farm-to-school efforts and learned about local food served in school meals and educational enrichment opportunities for students.
Help achieve the goal of reaching all 100 North Carolina counties with the NC Crunch. You can “crunch” any day during October or any time during the fall. Here’s how to get involved:
- Sign up to count your NC Crunch participation and receive access to a free guide, social media graphics and more resources.
- Encourage your local boards of education, schools, students, staff and families to participate in the NC Crunch.
- Tag @ncschoolmeals and @ncpublicschools with your #NCCrunch posts.
- Learn more at https://go.ncdpi.gov/ncschoolmeals, https://schoolnutrition.org, https://www.farmtoschool.org and https://growing-minds.org/north-carolina-crunch.