WANDA PARTNERS WITH NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL NETWORK

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time when the nation is searching for solutions that blend creativity and community impact, WANDA (Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics & Agriculture) and the National Farm to School Network (NFSN) announce a new partnership at the 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This year's theme, "Rooted in Culture, Forward into the Future," reflects the heart of WANDA's World—an edutainment universe that transforms food education through music, storytelling, and cultural discovery. Little WANDA encourages youth to become healthy eaters, joyful readers, and confident leaders.

The partnership comes amid cuts to SNAP-Ed and Farm to School funding outlined in the "Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)" report that threaten essential progress for more than 25 million U.S. children who rely on school meals and nutrition education.

Tambra Raye Stevenson, MPH, MA Founder of WANDA, shared:
"Our partnership with the National Farm to School Network is about restoring the dignity, joy, and justice in how our children learn to love food. We're giving our youngest learners the right to experience the fullness of farm-to-health: to know where their food comes from, to honor the hands that grow it, and to see themselves reflected in the stories, flavors, and traditions that nourish us. Every child deserves a joyful, culturally rooted food education and together, we're planting that future." 

Miguel Villareal, Interim Executive Director of NFSN, added:
"The National Farm to School Network is thrilled to partner with WANDA and bring Little WANDA's dynamic storytelling to the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. Together, we're expanding what it means to nourish children connecting culture, community, and healthy food with the local farmers, food producers, and values-driven practices that ground our movement. This partnership lifts up the stories that inspire learning, leadership, and a deeper understanding of where our food comes from and why that matters."

Conference attendees will step inside WANDA's World, where veggies have personalities, drums drop nutrition beats, and a fearless champion turns every bite into a farm-to-health adventure. The workshop unveils classroom experience of WANDA using music to boost recall, storytelling to increase food curiosity, and content that strengthens children's sense of belonging. Through rhythm, character-driven play, and heritage foods, children shift from "I don't like that!" to "Ooooh, what's THAT?"

WANDA's exhibit brings this universe to life, inviting youth to explore how Little WANDA's adventures can improve farm-to-health literacy and support social-emotional learning.

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SOURCE WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture