Federal Resources

Passport in Time (PIT) is a volunteer archaeology and historic preservation program of the USDA Forest Service (FS). PIT volunteers work with professional FS archaeologists and historians on national forests throughout the U.S. on such diverse activities as archaeological survey and excavation, rock art restoration, survey, archival research, historic structure restoration, oral history gathering, and analysis and curation of artifacts. FS professional staff of archaeologists and historians serve as hosts, guides, and co-workers.

This site lists links to program information for Nutrition Assistance Programs through Food and Nutrition Service.

A new TV feature developed by USDA describes the Team Up for Success Training Initiative, a program that connects schools that have succeeded in instituting the standards of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act with schools that are struggling with implementation. 

These tip sheets, developed by Penn State Extension, are teaching tools that apply scientific and communication principles to an extension evaluation problem in the field.

This resource from the Department of Agriculture can help schools in identifying and procuring locally grown and produced food for school nutrition programs. 

This site provides contact information for Rural Development State Offices.

This site provides funding notices for Rural Development programs and grants.

These resources from the Department of Agriculture can help schools and school districts as they develop school wellness policies that meet the standards of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.   

The Rural Information Center (RIC) provides services for rural communities, local officials, organizations, businesses and rural citizens working to maintain the vitality of America's rural areas.

This document clarifies eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to ensure that homeless youth, and other vulnerable populations, have access to the food they need. 

The MyPlate On Campus Initiative aims to spread healthy eating messages to college students to empower them to improve their eating and exercise habits and encourage their peers to do the same. MyPlate On Campus offers tools, such as a tracker that develops personalized nutrition and activity plans for users, and tip sheets on topics such as choosing healthy snacks and creative ways to exercise. Students interested in promoting wellness at their schools can become MyPlate On Campus Ambassadors and gain leadership experience while hosting fitness and healthy eating activities for their fellow students. 

The Food and Nutrition Information Center - a leader in food and human nutrition information dissemination since 1971 - provides credible, accurate, and practical resources for nutrition and health professionals, educators, government personnel and consumers.

In celebration of the fifth anniversary of Let’s Move!, First Lady Michelle Obama is encouraging people to give out high-fives when they see someone making healthy choices. The First Lady is also asking Americans to #GimmeFive for things they are doing lead a healthier life by posting their accomplishments on social media and challenging friends and family to do the same. 

SuperTracker, an online tool that helps users personalize their fitness and nutrition plan, is now available for mobile devices. Mobile users can compare the nutritional information for foods on the go and update their activity log in real time.

Team Nutrition is an initiative of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to support the Child Nutrition Programs through training and technical assistance for foodservice, nutrition education for children and their caregivers, and school and community support for healthy eating and physical activity. Team Nutrition's Goal is to improve children's lifelong eating and physical activity habits by using the principles of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid

4-H is encouraging young people to give a voice to the dedication and commitment they’ve shown in addressing challenges in their communities and creating lasting, positive change. Read the stories of 4-H youth who joined the Revolution of Responsibility by using creative ideas to address issues in their community. 

The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program is aimed at bolstering educational and career opportunities for students from rural or underserved communities around the country. The scholarship provides recipients with full tuition, fees, books, and room and board to attend one of the 1890 land-grant universities and pursue degrees in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or related academic disciplines. The scholarship may also include work experience at USDA. 

This website describes food, agriculture, and natural resource careers at the US Department of Agriculture.

USDA has awarded $200 million to fund and evaluate pilot projects in 10 states to help Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) participants find jobs and work toward self-sufficiency. The selected pilots will focus on target populations and represent a wide array of balanced approaches, including skills training, work-based learning, support services, and other job-driven strategies. 

USDA’s NIFA has announced the award of $9 million in grants, through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), to develop childhood obesity intervention programs through colleges and universities in 12 states and Puerto Rico. NIFA anticipates making $42 million available over the next five years for the AFRI Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area. 

This resource outlines the whole grain-rich criteria for school meals in order to help program operators identify foods that meet the whole grain-rich criteria and offer them in their menus. 

This blog entry from the Department of Agriculture discusses schools’ progress in complying with the school meal nutrition standards updated last year and the benefits that are already being seen as a result of the changes, including a decline in childhood obesity and an increase in children’s levels of physical activity and healthy eating habits. 

The challenge of summer hunger is particularly great in rural areas and Indian Country, where 15% of households are food insecure. This blog post describes how USDA’s Summer Food Service Program is addressing this issue. 

The CheckOut MyPlate Video Search contest provided an opportunity for kids to showcase their creative thoughts and ideas about food and health. Parents and teachers were challenged to create a 60-second video demonstrating a MyPlate inspired healthy eating message and a physical activity tip. The contest drew more than 100 submissions from across the country, and the top winners from each age group are featured on the USDA website. 

To help prevent summer hunger, USDA partners with schools, local governments, and community organizations to provide free meals to children during the summer. Individuals and organizations interested in being Summer Meal champions in their community can use USDA’s Summer Meals Toolkit to get the word out, learn about program policy and administration, and develop ideas for collaborating with stakeholders.