FRESHFARM FoodPrints Turns 20 and DC Council Is Celebrating With Us!

FRESHFARM is proud to announce that its signature FoodPrints program has been officially recognized by the Council of the District of Columbia on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. The Council approved the FRESHFARM FoodPrints 20th Anniversary Recognition Resolution of 2026, honoring FoodPrints for its exceptional food and garden education programming in Washington, DC, public elementary schools and its positive impact on a generation of students.

We are grateful to Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, longtime FoodPrints supporter, who introduced the resolution, and to the Council, which adopted it on March 31st.

The resolution captures steady growth of the program over the past two decades. What began in 2005 at Rudolph Elementary School in Ward 4 — and expanded to Watkins Elementary in Ward 6 just a few years later — has blossomed into one of the most transformative food education programs in the country. Today, FoodPrints reaches 8,000 students across 21 DC public elementary schools in 7 wards. Our team of dedicated food and garden educators delivers uniquely effective, joyful, and academically aligned food education that empowers kids to understand where food comes from and how to grow and cook it, while building confidence, curiosity, and connection in the classroom and into adulthood.

Check out the resolution or read the complete transcript below. Here’s to 20 more years of growing, cooking, eating, and learning together!

A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
ACR26-0135
Effective from Mar 31, 2026 

To recognize and celebrate FRESHFARM FoodPrints, on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, for its exceptional food and garden education programming for District of Columbia schools and students.

WHEREAS, FRESHFARM FoodPrints, a program of the non-profit FRESHFARM, began at Rudolph Elementary School in Ward 4 in 2005, and then Watkins Elementary School in Ward 6 in 2009;

WHEREAS, FRESHFARM has built a unique and successful model of immersive food and garden education, putting the District on the map as a leader in this field;

WHEREAS, FoodPrints has grown to reach 8,000 students in 21 partner DC public elementary schools in 7 wards across the District;

WHEREAS, the FoodPrints Grow, Cook, Eat, Learn model embeds food educators in public schools, focused on historically underserved communities, with immersive, academically aligned, joyful experiences around food;

WHEREAS, over the past 20 years, FoodPrints has developed an evidence-based unique curriculum containing 63 standards-based lessons, all tied to academic standards, sequenced seasonally, and adaptable for a range of uses, from garden- and culinary-based programs, to supplemental classroom learning, to out-of-school time enrichment programming;

WHEREAS, local food is a cornerstone of FoodPrints’ students’ experience – FoodPrints’ 21 school gardens grow 20 different crops each school year, from strawberries to kale to sweet potatoes, augmented by tens of thousands of pounds of produce from mid-Atlantic farmers in the FRESHFARM network;

WHEREAS, students learn where food comes from and how to harvest and cook the food;

WHEREAS, FoodPrints built its first teaching kitchen at Watkins Elementary School in 2011, thanks to a fundraiser championed by chef and philanthropist José Andrés;

WHEREAS, since then, together with DC Public Schools, FoodPrints has added 7 beautiful teaching kitchens as part of school modernizations in 6 wards across the city;

WHEREAS, in February 2016, First Lady Michelle Obama made a surprise visit, filmed by HGTV, to a fifth-grade FoodPrints class at the Watkins Elementary teaching kitchen as part of her Let’s Move! Initiative – the First Lady helped the students grind corn to make tortillas and make kale salad with greens from the school garden;

WHEREAS, research conducted by The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health has demonstrated that the program has made lasting impacts on culinary confidence and food choices, and FoodPrints students eat more fruits and vegetables than their typical peers;

WHEREAS, a generation of students has participated over the years, creating a network of former students who, to this day, still have fond memories of cooking and eating favorite recipes together, including Apple Beet Carrot (ABC) Salad and Tuscan Kale Salad;

WHEREAS, FoodPrints reaches beyond the classroom to build community and improve food access in partnership with other FRESHFARM programs through school-based farm stands at Whittier Elementary School in Ward 4 and Simon Elementary School in Ward 8, where school families and neighborhood residents shop for seasonal produce grown by regional farmers;

WHEREAS, both these farm stands accept SNAP/EBT, FMNP, Produce Plus, and FreshMatch, making fresh fruits and vegetables affordable for all community members;

WHEREAS, the FoodPrints team has spent many non-teaching days in service at Deep Roots Farm – a Black-woman-owned farm in Maryland that is part of the FRESHFARM network – planting and harvesting crops;

WHEREAS, Farmer Gale of Deep Roots Farm has, over the years, visited FoodPrints classrooms to share the work of a farmer, and has provided produce for classes, events, and families;

WHEREAS, since 2020, FRESHFARM has used the FoodPrints approach in community settings, primarily in early childhood education centers and recently for a DC-based Food is Medicine program at Children’s National Hospital;

WHEREAS, in 2024, FoodPrints participated in the first-ever U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food is Medicine Conference, where students on stage demonstrated for the audience how to cook FoodPrints recipes and shared their experiences in the program;

WHEREAS, FoodPrints is funded by investments from the Council, the Office of the State Superintendent for Education, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, individual schools and parent-teacher associations, and foundations and private donations; and

WHEREAS, the continuation of strong partnerships and city investment can continue to create community and joy around nutritious food in the District for the next 20 years and beyond.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this resolution may be cited as the “FRESHFARM FoodPrints 20th Anniversary Recognition Resolution of 2026.”

Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and celebrates FRESHFARM FoodPrints, on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, for its exceptional food and garden education programming for District of Columbia schools and students.

Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.