Food Literacy Center's Farm Announcement

Sutter Health Steps in with a Major Grant to 
Construct a Farm on the New Food Literacy Center Campus 
A Half-Million Dollar Financial Contribution will Complete Phase II of the
Food Literacy Center at Leataata Floyd Elementary School

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – September 6, 2022 – Sutter Health is helping to plant the seeds of food literacy by contributing a $500,000 grant to construct the new Food Literacy Center farm. The farm will serve as an outdoor, immersive education destination that will host student gardening lessons, field trips, community food and nutrition education classes, and more. The Sutter Health funding commitment was announced at the recent Food Literacy Center ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the new facility.

“The Food Literacy Center is creating new pathways to address health equity and provide access to healthy foods for students and families in our community,” said Keri Thomas, Vice President of External Affairs for Sutter Health in the Valley Area. “We are excited to be part of this new community space and look forward to being part of many more efforts that help address the whole child and support our students’ success in and out of the classroom — laying the groundwork for a healthy future.”

The Food Literacy Center is a nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire kids to eat their vegetables. The new farm will be on the campus of the 4,500 square-foot Food Literacy Center facility at Leataata Floyd Elementary. In addition to the farm, the Food Literacy Center – which is located on
2.5 acres – includes a cooking classroom, commercial kitchen, training areas, and plenty of outdoor space for hands-on educational opportunities for students. 

“Building this farm is a big expense for our small Food Literacy Center nonprofit. Sutter Health’s commitment to cover the cost demonstrates that our vision is supported. They understand the importance of addressing nutrition, emotional wellness, and active play for kids,” said Amber Stott, Founder and Chief Food Genius at Food Literacy Center. “The students of Food Literacy Center face a lot of barriers to healthy living. This project eliminates many of those barriers. We’re extremely grateful to Sutter Health for making these kids a priority. We can’t wait to make this dream a reality. Thanks to Sutter, we will!” 

The overall $4.3 million Food Literacy Center project was funded by Sacramento City Unified School District and will serve about 330 elementary school students that are enrolled at Leataata Floyd Elementary and their families, as well as students throughout the district and community.

ABOUT FOOD LITERACY CENTER
Food Literacy Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) established in 2011 in Sacramento, California, with the mission of inspiring kids to eat their vegetables. The organization provides cooking and nutrition education to children in low-income elementary schools throughout the Sacramento City Unified School District to improve health, economy and the environment. 

Photography by Marcus Dubois