During the summer months, the Farm to Summer program encourages schools and community organizations to integrate local foods and agriculture-based activities when school is out of session. By extending the Farm to School model, these summer activities ensure children and teens retain access to nutritious meals and enrichment opportunities.
The Farm to Summer Challenge celebrates improvements in summer meal programs through Farm to Summer strategies among participating schools and community organizations. Sponsors of child nutrition programs completing at least one activity from one of three challenge areas are recognized each year.
The Farm to Summer Challenge areas are:
- Eat. Serve locally grown food or eat locally grown cucumber for Cucumber Crunch Day.
- Grow. Participate in a gardening activity, take an agriculture-related field trip, or host a gardening professional for a lesson.
- Engage. Share your Farm to Summer activities through social media, local media coverage, a newsletter, a website, or other engagement channel.
Congratulations to our 2025 Farm to Summer Challenge winners!
Gold Gourd Award Winners
Boys and Girls Club of Massillon; Massillon, Ohio
Boys and Girls Club of Massillon uses summer programming to support healthy lifestyles. This summer, menus featured products from 3-D Meats, a local butcher. Members participated in the Cucumber Crunch twice, featured strawberries they picked themselves from Sunny Slope Orchard in Program meals. These activities were featured on social media and a monthly newsletter to keep members and families updated.
Boys and Girls Club of Massillon crunch on local cucumbers.
The June Newsletter featuring “Fun Fruit Friday”
Cincinnati Public Schools; Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati Public Schools kept youth engaged throughout the summer months with multiple projects and featured food items. Local apples were served daily during the month of June to 1,000 students. A group of 20 students at Aiken High School worked on the school’s farm and the district kept the community informed about the farm’s activities via social media.
Connecting Kids to Meals; Toledo, Ohio
This summer, over 6,000 youth participated in the Cucumber Crunch with the nonprofit Connecting Kids to Meals, enjoying cucumbers in program meals throughout the summer. The organization also hosted a gardening lesson, where children planted and tended organic cucumber plants, utilizing social media to showcase their efforts.
Crestwood Local Schools; Mantua, Ohio
Crestwood Local Schools participated in a variety of Farm to Summer activities. Students in grades kindergarten through twelfth tried cucumbers during a Cucumber Crunch, sampled local peaches, and enjoyed pork raised by local 4-H members purchased through the Portage County Randolph Fair. Fact sheets about locally sourced produce and proteins were sent home with students to share. Kindergarteners also visited the local apple orchard, Monroe’s Farm, for a field trip. All events were documented on the district’s social media and quarterly newsletter.
A Crestwood Local Schools social media feature about the Cucumber Crunch.
Edison Local School District; Milan, Ohio
Throughout the summer season, Edison Local served a variety of locally grown foods, including tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, and peaches. Staff set up a station at the farmers market for visitors to plant their own tomato and strawberry plants. To advertise their efforts, events were posted in the newspaper and on social media platforms.
The school’s farmers market stand was set up for students to sample local peaches.
Elgin Local Schools; Marion, Ohio
Elgin’s students had multiple opportunities to be part of the Farm to Summer Challenge, including a Cucumber Crunch Day. During this event, children participated in a taste test of cucumbers slices and were provided with a recipe to take home to families. The school also grew vegetables using a hydroponic farm and provided the harvest to families. This summer, each household in the district was updated on farm to summer activities through a community newsletter.
Miami Trace Local Schools; Washington Court House, Ohio
A newly constructed greenhouse, inspired by a student’s idea, offered new hands-on learning opportunities and provided food for the Miami Trace cafeteria. Students enrolled in the Career Technical Education program assisted in building raised beds. This summer, the greenhouse project was featured in the local newspaper to showcase Miami Trace’s farm to school activities. In addition to gardening, 200 Miami Trace students enjoyed local cucumbers for lunch.
Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission; Bryan, Ohio
The Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission partnered with a local greenhouse grower, Nature Fresh, who donated fresh cucumbers for two Cucumber Crunch events. Children participated in hands-on gardening activities by planting donated seeds. Participants also received nutrition education from SNAP-Ed educators. To highlight the activities facilitated this summer, an advertisement was placed in the local newspaper and on local radio .
Children engage in gardening activities.
Ottawa County Family Advocacy Center; Port Clinton, Ohio
Nearly 2,000 children participated in the Farm to Summer challenge with Ottawa County Family Advocacy Center this year. In July, each participating child received a cucumber in their grab and go meal bag, as part of the Cucumber Crunch. The meal bags also contained weekly newsletters that included a recipe, information about one of the menu items, and an activity for kids. During Hunger Action Month in September, Ottawa County Family Advocacy Center sent a newsletter to their subscribers that highlighted the Center’s farm to summer efforts.
A weekly newsletter featuring dairy.
River Valley Local Schools; Marion, Ohio
River Valley hosted a two-week farm camp for 35 students from kindergarten through fifth grade, where children sampled a variety of fresh produce, including beets, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, radishes, and kohlrabi. Children also had the opportunity to participate in Cucumber Crunch – tasting cucumbers straight from the garden and in a freshly made cucumber salsa. Camp participants planted and harvested vegetables, learned about the importance of pollinators, and received beehive education. Partnering with Marion Public Health, River Valley’s arm to summer activities were featured in an Ohio Department of Health press release as part of their Creating Healthy Communities program.
Salvation Army Middletown; Middletown, Ohio
Salvation Army Middletown received local produce from a nearby church garden three times per week during the summer months. Each day, 25-50 participants tasted these locally grown items. The Salvation Army Middletown also hosted a Cucumber Crunch event for 275 children. Close to 500 children participated in a gardening session and learned how to plant and care for vegetables. The organization posted on social media and provided additional engagement through activity handouts to participants.
Salvation Army Middletown’s preparation for a large Cucumber Crunch event.
St. Paul United Church of Christ; Wapakoneta, Ohio
St. Paul United Church of Christ served local food to summer meal recipients weekly. Children had the opportunity to plant take-home cucumbers, help church staff maintain bucket gardens, and learn from Master Gardener volunteers. St. Paul provided outreach through the calendar on their website, onsite bulletin board, and posters in local businesses,
Ukrainian Academy; Parma Heights, Ohio
Through their Cucumber Crunch, youth at Ukrainian Academy learned how cucumbers grow while enjoying fresh cucumber slices. Children planted flowers, onions, tomatoes, and berries. A local grower, Quarry Hills Orchards, hosted students for a field trip, where youth explored cherry trees and tasted fruit. Ukrainian Academy used social media to share their Farm to Summer activities.
Youth at Ukrainian Academy participate in the Cucumber Crunch.
Silver Snow Pea Award Winner
Chillicothe City School Food Service Department; Chillicothe, Ohio
The food service department at Chillicothe City Schools offered two days of the Cucumber Crunch and showcased three different ways to enjoy fresh cucumbers including: cucumber slices with ranch, as a cucumber salad, and as a pickle. The district engaged the community by hosting a summer meal site at the local farmers market. This innovate site location was chosen to better connect school families with local producers and vendors. This resulted in over 740 summer meal recipients visiting the Chillicothe Farmers Market.
Chillicothe City Schools Food Service Department’s flyer advertising their presence at the local farmers market.
Bronze Bean Award Winner
East Cleveland Schools; East Cleveland, Ohio
East Cleveland Schools operated their Seamless Summer Option at Mayfair Elementary School and Shaw High School. The district served local foods by participating in a Cucumber Crunch Event. Ninety students tried sliced cucumbers and cucumber salad for lunch!
Sample cups of East Cleveland’s tomato cucumber salad.