The W.K. Kellogg Foundation granted four Georgia partners $1.45 million to help bring healthy food to underserved children and to help promote food equality.

Georgia Organics announced in June that the money will help fund the Farm to Early Care and Education initiative. The initiative provides hands-on education in nutrition, cooking, gardening and promotion of fresh foods in early care and education programs, according to Georgia Organics.

The statewide partnership will be led by The Common Market Georgia, Georgia Organics, Voices for Georgia’s Children and Quality Care for Children.

The partners will expand healthy food access for Georgia children by encouraging family engagement, helping children learn where their food comes from, and expanding opportunities for local farmers to sell fresh foods to early care and education programs.

This initiative will work in close partnership with the Georgia Farm to Early Care and Education Coalition, which was formed in 2016 and recently finalized a three-year strategy, according to Georgia Organics.

Lily Rolader, operations manager at The Common Market Georgia, a nonprofit regional food distributor, says that her group will work with 10 test sites, and notes that the grant has a focus on economic and racial equity, both from the children’s side and the farmers by “being intentional around connecting farmers of color to the work that we’re doing.”

For more information, visit GeorgiaOrganics.org, TheCommonMarket.org, GeorgiaVoices.org, QualityCareforChildren.org, FarmToPreschool.org and wkkf.org.