NJ Department of Agriculture Honors School for Fruit and Vegetable Program

Representatives from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture presented Lord Stirling Community School in New Brunswick, NJ, with the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program VIP Award.

The award highlights schools in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) that are doing an exceptional job promoting fruits and vegetables and healthy lifestyles to their students. Lord Stirling was selected for the top prize for providing an extensive program integrating the entire school community in wellness activities.

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is a federally funded initiative that offers grants to schools to provide fresh produce as snacks to students in schools where 50% or more of the students receive free or reduced-price meals. There are 188 New Jersey schools participating in the 2024-2025 school year’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which has grown from 33 schools when it began in 2008.

Students at Lord Stirling are served Jersey Fresh produce at least 12 times throughout the year as FFVP snacks. These have included apples, cranberries, butternut squash, cucumbers, yams, Asian pears and blueberries.