New farm-to-school pilot program beginning in 2025-26

LITTLE ROCK — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced a new farm-to-school program launching in Marion School District for the upcoming 2025-26 school year.
This innovative program, created by Governor Sanders’ faith-based initiatives office in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Corrections, Arkansas Department of Agriculture, and Arkansas Department of Education, will enable the Arkansas Department of Corrections’ facilities in Newport to participate in Arkansas’ agriculture industry and help harvest fresh produce for Marion students’ school breakfasts and lunches.
“Combatting food insecurity — especially among kids — is a top priority for my administration, and this program can be a model for our state,” said Governor Sanders. “I am proud of our faith-based initiatives office for spearheading the development of this innovative program that will provide students with fresh, nutritious produce and give the prisons an opportunity to contribute positively to their communities.”
“We are honored to partner with Governor Sanders to support children in Arkansas,” said Arkansas Secretary of Department of Corrections Lindsay Wallace. “This pilot program offers a way for the Department to give back to the community by addressing food insecurity for future generations.”
“This pilot program exemplifies the kind of cross-agency innovation that supports both student success and community well-being,” said Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva. “By bringing fresh, locally grown food directly to our schools, we’re not only strengthening nutrition and wellness in the classroom — we’re also making real-world farm to school connections. We’re proud to partner in this effort to combat food insecurity and support our students in every way possible.”
“Agriculture provides the food, fiber, fuel, and shelter that we depend on every single day and it is the critical link in addressing food insecurity," said Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward. “Agriculture is our state’s largest industry and Arkansas is blessed with the natural ability for diverse agricultural production to include fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables that are so important for students. I’m thankful for the Governor’s leadership and excited to work with Secretary Wallace and Secretary Olivia to achieve meaningful improvements in food insecurity rates.”

Tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, corn, watermelon, strawberries, kale, potatoes, onions, squash, zucchini, okra, cucumbers, pumpkins, and blueberries are just some of the fresh fruits and vegetables students can expect to see beginning this fall.
Thanks to the Good Neighbor Act - a law signed by Governor Sanders earlier this year expanding liability protections for food bank donors - any produce not used by the school may be donated to food pantries or other organizations, ensuring food doesn’t go to waste.
Governor Sanders also signed SB59 this past legislative session as part of her comprehensive strategy to combat food insecurity. This critical piece of legislation requires all Arkansas public schools to provide one free breakfast to students per school day, regardless of their federal eligibility for free meals. Arkansas is the first state in the South to create such a program.
Additionally, Governor Sanders previously signed legislation providing free school lunches for eligible students who qualified for reduced-price meals, and announced Arkansas will continue its Summer EBT program this year, ensuring Arkansas’ students have access to food in the summer months.
Governor Sanders launched Faith-Based Initiatives to unite Arkansas’ diverse faith communities around issues facing the Natural State. Since its inception, the faith-based initiatives team has hosted roundtables and fostered important conversations with faith communities that have led to the development of critical programs to address issues like childhood hunger, maternal health, foster care, and more.