Bostian Elementary School first-grader Laila Furr was among 13 elementary school students who had their artwork selected for the North Carolina Farm to School 2013-2014 calendar.
There were 3,800 entries.
The calendar, which includes daily agricultural facts, runs August 2014 through July 2015. Laila’s artwork will represent July 2015.
The Farm to School program began in 1997 as a collaborative effort of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Food Distribution and Marketing divisions. The two divisions work together to secure orders from child nutrition directors and then source and deliver locally grown fruits and vegetables for school lunch programs. During the 2013-2014 school year, the program generated nearly $1.4 million with participation by 92 of the 117 school districts statewide.
The contest was open to all public elementary students across the state. The winners received $50 gift cards sponsored by the N.C. Farm to School Cooperative, the group of farmers supplying produce to the program.
Winners’ artwork will be on display in the Agriculture Building and at the N.C. State Fair in October.
Limited numbers of the calendars will be available through participating school systems before the start of the school year. Additional copies will be available at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on a first-come, first-served basis, and printer-friendly versions will be available online at www.ncfarmtoschool.com .