Food Literacy Center celebrated the grand opening of their new headquarters and cooking school at Floyd Farms in Sacramento, California. During the ceremony, the Food Literacy Center was presented with the key to their new facility which will increase access to food literacy and build life-long healthy eating habits for hundreds of Sacramento City Unified School District students and their families.

A dream of the Food Literacy Program and Sacramento City USD for over a decade, Floyd Farms at Leataata Floyd Elementary School is home to the program’s headquarters, a cooking classroom, and a farm where students and community members can actively practice the “Farm to Fork” philosophy. As an organization built around the tenets of health, wellness, and the environment, it was paramount that the headquarters reflected these same values while adhering to the non-profit’s tight budget. Fruits and veggies will be grown on-site and washed and prepared in the shade of the outdoor learning classroom. Meals are later prepared in the Net Zero Energy kitchen for healthy bodies and a healthy environment. The learning kitchen is anchored by a large demonstration counter and is surrounded by domestic cooking stations for kids to gain a hands-on kitchen experience.

The building itself also functions as a learning tool where users actively observe on-site energy-conscious features in action. Solar panels, rainwater collection, operable windows and ceiling fans, and a holistic heating and cooling system are employed to reduce energy waste. As Sacramento City USD’s first project to pursue ZNE, the building will produce as much energy as it uses, is free from all fossil fuels, and allows the nonprofit to keep its operating costs low.

Local Sacramento station KCRA was at the event, click here to watch their story on the event and the new facility.