***** Turnip the Beet was a great success, and we are so grateful to everyone who came, danced, and showed up for Rogue Valley Farm to School. We are still working towards our total goal of raising $33,000 by June 30th, and if you are able, please consider making a donation before the end of the month. There is a student in your neighborhood who only really lights up once a week, on garden day. School might not come easily. Home might not either. But for one hour, there is dirt under their nails, a question they cannot wait to ask, and an adult who genuinely sees them. That hour exists because of funding that was never guaranteed, and this year, a significant piece of it disappeared when one of our partner districts was not awarded its ODE grant. Closing this gap will not undo what was lost, but it will decide how much of that hour we get to keep, and for how many kids.

One of our partner districts lost a key source of funding, and the ripple effect reaches every student we serve, leaving the hands-on farm and food education that has shaped how a generation of Southern Oregon kids thinks about food at risk. Your contribution is a direct investment in keeping this work alive. One hundred percent of proceeds go directly to Rogue Valley Farm to School's Digging Deeper School Partnership, and right now every dollar matters.

Digging Deeper serves more than 5,200 students, and the stakes of losing this program go far beyond the classroom. For many kids, especially those who struggle in traditional learning environments, the garden is where something *clicks*. Our educators build real, lasting relationships with students who need them most. In districts where 20 to 25 percent of elementary-aged students are chronically absent, having a trusted adult and a place they genuinely want to be can change the trajectory of a child's future. Add to that the nutrition education that sets kids up for improved long-term health and the sense of community and wonder that comes from learning outside four walls, and you begin to understand what is really at stake.

This partnership also matters deeply to the fabric of our local food system. By connecting school cafeterias across Jackson and Josephine Counties with more than 23 local farmers and ranchers, it is helping build a steady, reliable market that local food producers can count on. That is good for kids, good for farmers, and good for a community that is stronger when its food comes from close to home.

Turnip the Beet is one of the most fun ways to be part of this community and support the work we do together. But if you can't make it or want to do even more, there are other ways to get involved:

Make a direct donation to Rogue Valley Farm to School
Talk to your school's PTO about inviting our educators to bring students on a farm field trip or to host a Tastebuds Trekkers event at your school
Spread the word by sharing this page with someone who cares about kids, food, and this community

However you choose to show up, know that it matters more than you might realize. This work has flourished for two decades because of people like you, and we are deeply grateful to have this community in our corner

Turnip the Beet '26!

Come for the Music. Stay for the Mission. Help us save the Digging Deeper Partnership.