Madison School Corporation (Madison, IN), in collaboration with Madison Youth Unlimited, is innovating school meals and strengthening the regional food system through its Growing Minds Project. On August 1, 2025, the corporation launched the first student-led farm stop in the United States—”Growing Minds Farm Stop.”
Originating in Michigan, farm stops are community-based grocery stores that exclusively offer products from local farmers, providing a sustainable model for supporting local agriculture.
Growing Minds is a part of the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub, funded by the United State Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, and convened by the Illinois Public Health Institute.
“It’s not often that a grant program allows their applicants to think way outside the box and take risks on big ideas,” said Laura Rico, Madison Youth Unlimited Director. “Our Innovation Hub grant has allowed us to be bold and get our community excited about our local food system in new ways.”
Students at Madison High School led the design and implementation of the Growing Minds Farm Stop, from the planning stages to its opening. They also lead its operation through the partnership with Madison High School. A group of nine students began work on the Farm Stop in 2024 and had the opportunity to learn hands-on business skills like marketing, business planning, project management, and pitch presentations. One student, who recently graduated, has stayed on with the project as the Farm Stop’s first manager. A new cohort of students will join the Farm Stop each year to carry the torch forward from graduating seniors.
Through the project, Madison’s local farmers and food producers benefit from having a consistent market for the food they grow and produce. Madison School Corporation incorporates food from the Farm Stop into cafeteria menus, so all students that eat school lunch get to try fresh, nutrient-dense, and locally grown ingredients. New menu items are tested at family cooking workshops, where students and families can provide feedback while connecting over shared meals, activities, and learning new skills.
With a focus on lasting change, the Growing Minds Project engages students at all stages of their education. Third graders learn about the seed-to-plate cycle by planting seeds and harvesting vegetables, as well as by taking Junior Master Gardener classes offered by Purdue Extension. In May 2025, the students at Lydia Middleton Elementary School also recognized the garden harvest with a celebration salad and graduation ceremony for the Junior Master Gardener program.
“We had a garden in Colorado with my aunts and uncles and grandparents,” one student shared. “Now that we live here in Madison, I miss them and the garden. I like [that] we get to plant in this garden.”
Students of all ages and their families are invited to join the family cooking workshops featuring locally grown foods and kid-friendly activities, as well as to give feedback on new recipes for the school lunch program. Recipes, which are submitted by families, are adapted for larger quantities. At the workshops, families learn how the meals are made through demonstrations, taste the food, and provide feedback. Children and caregivers alike are asked whether they would like to see these new additions on the lunch menu in the future.
Since the opening of the Farm Stop, students have also been able to go on field trips to the store, which connect the dots between growing food and the lessons in their classrooms. Each semester, juniors and seniors from the high school are invited to apply for jobs at the Farm Stop. Growing Minds also provides entrepreneurship opportunities for students enrolled in Madison’s College and Technical Education programs, led by John Schutte.
Together, these efforts represent a student-driven and -led approach that builds community for farmers and eaters and cultivates lasting change that leads to more nourishing food choices.
Laura Rico, Director of Madison Youth Unlimited, described the impact of the project. “Now we have high schoolers talking about the connection between farmer incomes and community food security, we have third graders talking about soil biology, and we have school corporations supporting farmers. The freedom to innovate has allowed us to generate excitement in our community about building something new together, with the support of a network of food systems professionals to help us succeed.”
Learn more about how the Growing Minds Project is planting seeds of lasting change.