Who We Are
Growing Minds is the farm to school program of Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), a nonprofit based in Asheville serving the Southern Appalachian region of Western North Carolina and bordering states. The vision of Growing Minds is that children of all ages learn about and have positive experiences with local food and farms in the classroom, cafeteria, and community.
Learn more about farm to school – which we define as also including farm to early care and education (ECE) / farm to preschool – and why it’s important on our “About Farm to School” webpage.
What We Do
Our mission is to help farm to school programs thrive by improving systems and building the capacity of educators, nutrition staff, parents/caregivers, farmers, and community partners to engage children around local food and farms. We do this through:
- Building and maintaining partnerships to form a network of community support
- Delivering training and technical assistance to increase knowledge and skills
- Providing resources, including funding, supplies, and materials, to strengthen implementation
- Facilitating engagement activities to demonstrate how fun farm to school can be
Explore the rest of our website to find resources and support that will enhance your own farm to school work, or feel free to contact us anytime.
Our Commitment
We are committed to centering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) in our work. Systemic barriers that perpetuate the long-standing opportunity and achievement gaps between white and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students – which start in early childhood – must be addressed in programs that serve children. By embedding racial and social equity principles in farm to school programming, we can use our collective power to challenge barriers and inequities in education, food systems, and farm to school overall. Read ASAP’s Equity Statement and find equity resources on this webpage as well as throughout our website.
Our Impact
Growing Minds was one of the first programs of its kind in the country, getting its start in 2002 at Hazelwood Elementary in Haywood County. We now offer support around farm to school to 60 Appalachian Grown counties, helping to facilitate positive local food and farm experiences for children. In 2023, we trained and/or provided resources for farm to school programming to over 1,000 educators, reaching over 20,000 children from early childhood through high school! Check out the ASAP 2023 Annual Report for more details and stories that highlight our impact.
“We are so happy our daughter has this opportunity and that our younger daughter will soon as well. She is gaining respect for the earth and where food comes from and the work it takes to grow it. She takes pride in caring for her plants and is eager to learn more. She always wants to visit local farms and markets and always asks about the animals and food. I wish I had a program like this when I was younger!” – Parent, Pisgah Collective
“I am so incredibly grateful to Growing Minds and their team for being such an incredible support and resource for teachers in our region. I have met so many amazing local farmers and learned so much about fun, hands-on ways to incorporate local foods in the classroom. The grants, the food kits and the teacher tool kit have brought my classroom to life. These resources have provided me with a way to provide meaningful learning experiences that connect my students to our local community while meeting the standards!” – Educator, Cherokee Pre-K