Reminder - Quotes for Genesee County Farm to School program due Thursday, 7/29!

Greetings Farmers and Food Vendors,

For those of you that may be interested in selling your locally-grown, fresh fruits and veggies to schools in Genesee County, this is a reminder that quotes are due in writing by Thursday, July 29^th. See the attached request for quotes for more details, including the list of products and contact information for submitting quotes and all 17 school districts interested in participating. Please note that it is not required that you have available all products listed in this request to participate; please feel free to submit a proposal for just one or two products if that is all you have available for purchase by one or more school districts.

 

Thanks,

 

Colleen Matts

Farm to Institution Specialist

CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Michigan State University

303 Natural Resources Building

East Lansing, MI 48824-1222

517.432.0310

www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

 

Farm to School News

Hi all,

 

Here are the latest Farm to School news bites: 

 

NEWS

 

Grant Will Bring Local Food to Districts

The Alliance for Economic Success in Manistee recently received a $60,000 Rural Development grant for Farm to School at the Frankfort-Elberta Area School District, Onekama Consolidated Schools and other districts in Benzie and Manistee counties. Project partners include the Michigan Land Use Institute, the Manistee Area Intermediate School District, Traverse Bay Intermediate School District, and local farmers and food processors.

 

Good For Our Health and Our Economy – This editorial encourages that we “shouldn’t lose sight of the importance of the original “green economy” — agriculture — in West Michigan”, which ties in with the goals of the Michigan Good Food Charter.

 

House Committee Passes 'Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act’ 

Child Nutrition with Farm to School Passes House Committee

The act aims to improve children’s access to meal programs both in and out of school, add a 6-cent-per-child increase to meal reimbursements to improve nutritional quality, encourage farm to school and food sourcing from local farms, and establish nutrition standards for all food sold in schools, among other things. Click here to see a summary of the measures included in this bill.

 

USDA Finalizes Ground Beef Standards for School Lunch and Nutrition Programs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has finalized new standards for ground beef purchases by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service for school lunch programs and other federal food and nutrition assistance programs.

 

Thank you for all those that joined us for the Your Guide to the Michigan Good Food Charter Webinar! If you missed it, you can access the recording here. Join others who have shown their support for the Michigan Good Food Charter by filling out and sending in the Resolution of Support Form!

 

EVENTS

 

Farmers Market at the Capitol 

When: July 22, 10AM- 3PM

Where: East Lawn of the Capitol, Lansing

Click here for the flyer.

 

“Putting Michigan MarketMaker to Work for You” Workshop

When: Wednesday, July 28, 2010 from 6 – 8 p.m.

Where: Wayne County Community College District (Western Campus) 

Map It! 

Space is limited to the first 20 registrants so RSVP soon to Morse Brown at brownmo@msu.edu or 269-208-1443. Click here for more details. 

 

OPPORTUNITIES 

 

The Chefs Move to Schools program is an effort to support the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign to stop the spread of childhood obesity. Chefs will be paired by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture with interested schools in their communities so together they can create healthy meals. Join the Chefs Move to Schools Program by completing the chef sign-up form here or the school sign-up form here.

 

The search is underway to fill a new position, Food Initiative Director for the United Way for Southeastern Michigan (UWSEM). Please see the position description attached.

 

RESOURCES 

 

Before you begin a Farm to School program, click here to learn more from the USDA Farm to School Team about USDA procurement regulations, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) policy, and procurement requirements for State and local governments.

 

 

Best,

 

Colleen Matts

Farm to Institution Specialist

CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Michigan State University

303 Natural Resources Building

East Lansing, MI 48824-1222

517.432.0310

www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

 

 

FW: Latest Child Nutrition Reauthorization Action Update

Hi all,

I’m passing on the latest news about the Child Nutrition Reauthorization from the Community Food Security Coalition and the One Tray Team. They are asking for constituents to call their Congress people that sit on the House Education and Labor Committee to support the inclusion of mandatory funding for Farm to School programs  in this Reauthorization. Rep Dale Kildee and Rep Vernon Ehlers of Michigan serve on this Committee, and you’ll find their contact information in the chart below if you care to make a call in support of Farm to School prior to markup of this Committee’s Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill, Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010, this Wednesday, July 14^th.

 

Thanks,

 

Colleen Matts

Farm to Institution Specialist

CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Michigan State University

303 Natural Resources Building

East Lansing, MI 48824-1222

517.432.0310

www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

 

From: School Food FOCUS [mailto:sdavidson@schoolfoodfocus.org]
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 2:56 PM
To: Colleen Matts
Subject: Fwd: Latest Child Nutrition Reauthorization Action Update

 

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

 

CNR action alert from Community Food Security Coalition and the One Tray Team Greetings! We are happy to forward this update and action alert about Child Nutrition Reauthorization from our friends at the Community Food Security Coalition and the One Tray Team. Warmest regards, School Food FOCUS Team ------------------------Begin forwarded message---------------------     July 12, 2010   CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES NOW AND URGE THEM TO VOTE YES ON CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION   If your Congressman sits on the House Education and Labor Committee (see chart below), we need your help! This Wednesday, July 14th, the House Committee on Education and Labor will be marking up their Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill: H.R. 5504, the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act of 2010.  H.R. 5504 contains significant improvements to Child Nutrition Programs including increases in program access, improvements to nutritional quality and program integrity, and $50 MILLION IN MANDATORY FUNDING FOR FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAMS.   This is a critical moment for all of us to weigh in on Child Nutrition Reauthorization.  With 1 in 4 kids at-risk of hunger and 1 in 3 obese or overweight, the time for strong action is now.  Congress must pass a robust, well-funded child nutrition bill this summer to help reach the national goals to end child hunger by 2015 and to solve child obesity in a generation.  The health and future of America's children depend on it. Your Members need to hear from you!  THE MESSAGE IS SIMPLE. Tell your Representative to act quickly in marking up the bill and moving it to the House floor for a full vote. Now is the time to improve access to food assistance programs and to enhance the nutrition quality of these programs for our nation's children.  IT'S EASY. Call the number below, and ask to speak to the Legislative Aide listed.  If they do not answer, leave a voice mail with your name, phone number, and the message to vote yes on H.R. 5504 and pass the Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill out of committee.  If kids can do it, so can you! Watch a video of kids lobbying Congress to pass a strong Child Nutrition bill this year.    House Committee on Education and Labor: Democrats       Representative Staff Phone Fax George Miller (7th CA) Denise Forte, Gabrielle Serra 202-225-2095 202-225-5609 Dale E. Kildee (5th MI) Erin Ward 202-225-3611 202-225-6393 Donald M. Payne (10th NJ) LaVerne Alexander 202-225-3436 202-225-4160 Robert E. Andrews (1st NJ) Elisa Krobot 202-225-6501 202-225-6583 Robert C. Scott (3rd VA) Carolyn Hughes 202-225-8351 202-225-8354 Lynn Woolsey (6th CA) Jason Feld 202-225-5161 202-225-5163 Ruben Hinojosa (15th TX) Rosa Garcia 202-225-2531 202-225-5688 Carolyn McCarthy (4th NY) Kim Zarish-Becknell 202-225-5516 202-225-5758 John F. Tierney (6th MA) Rachel Evans 202-225-8020 202-225-5915 Dennis J. Kucinich (10th OH) Yonatan Zamir 202-225-5871 202-225-5745 David Wu (1st OR) Scott Olson 202-225-0855 202-225-9497 Rush Holt (12th NJ) Chris Gaston 202-225-5801 202-225-6025 Susan Davis (53rd CA) Suzanne Swink 202-225-2040 202-225-2948 Raúl M. Grijalva (7th AZ) Joseph Mais 202-225-2435 202-225-1541 Tim Bishop (1st NY) Joanna Serra 202-225-3826 202-225-3143 Joe Sestak (7th PA) Jason Marmon 202-225-2011 202-226-0280 Dave Loebsack (2nd IA) Kara Marchione 202-225-6576 202-226-0757 Mazie Keiko Hirono (2nd HI) Anne Stewart 202-225-4906 202-225-4987 Jason Altmire (4th PA) Cara Toman 202-225-2565 202-226-2274 Phil Hare (17th IL) Kemi Jemilohun 202-225-5905 202-225-5396 Yvette D. Clarke (11th NY) Bridgette Dehart 202-225-6231 202-226-0112 Joe Courtney (2nd CT) John Hollay 202-225-2076 202-225-4977 Carol Shea-Porter (1st NH) Chris Hillesheim 202-225-5456 202-225-5822 Marcia L. Fudge (11th OH) Clifton Williams 202-225-7032 202-225-1339 Jared Polis (2nd CO) Spiros Protopsaltis 202-225-2161 202-226-7840 Paul D. Tonko (21st NY) Becky Cornell 202-225-5076 202-225-5077 Pedro Pierluisi (Puerto Rico) Anina Caso 202-225-2615 202-225-2154 Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Northern Mariana Islands) Ed Manglona 202-225-2646 202-226-4249 Dina Titus (3rd NV) Sarah Cohen 202-225-3252 202-225-2185 Judy Chu (32nd CA) Carlos Uriarte 202-225-5464 202-225-5467                 Republicans       Representative Staff Phone Fax John Kline (2nd MN) Molly Conway 202-225-2271 202-225-2595 Thomas E. Petri (6th WI) Kevin James 202-225-2476 202-225-2356 Howard P. "Buck" MeKeon (25th CA) Chris Perry 202-225-1956 202-226-0683 Peter Hoekstra (2nd MI) Greg Van Woerkom 202-225-4401 202-226-0779 Michael N. Castle (DE) Jessica Gross 202-225-4165 202-225-2291 Vernon J. Ehlers (3rd MI) Rachel Fenton 202-225-3831 202-225-5144 Judy Biggert (13th IL) Griffin Foster 202-225-3515 202-225-9420 Todd Platts (19th PA) Rebeccah Wolfkiel 202-225-5836 202-226-1000 Joe Wilson (2nd SC) Melissa Chandler 202-225-2452 202-225-2455 Cathy McMorris Rodgers (5th WA) Kim Betz 202-225-2006 202-225-3392 Tom Price (6th GA) Kris Skrzycki 202-225-2006 202-225-4656 Rob Bishop (1st UT) Wayne Bradshaw 202-225-0453 202-225-5857 Brett Guthrie (2nd KY) Megan Spindel 202-225-3501 202-226-2019 Bill Cassidy (6th LA) Holly Booth 202-225-3901 202-225-7313 Tom McClintock (4th CA) Kristen Glen 202-225-2511 202-225-5444 Duncan D. Hunter (52nd CA) Joe Kasper 202-225-5672 202-225-0235 Phil Roe (1st TN) Matt Meyer 202-225-6356 202-225-5714 Glenn Thompson (5th PA) John Busovsky 202-225-5121 202-225-5796 One Tray symbolizes the health of our children, the state of our food system, and the potential in providing every child the opportunity to succeed. One Tray equals our future. Three national organizations have joined forces to advocate for more healthful, more sustainably produced and regionally sourced school food that can improve the health of kids, develop new marketing opportunities for farmers, and support the local economy. The time is now to nourish the nation one tray at a time. Members of the One Tray Team include the Community Food Security Coalition, National Farm to School Network, and School Food FOCUS. For more background information on Farm to School programs and our campaign, click here.  Questions? Please contact the CFSC Policy Office: 202-543-8602 Thank you for your help! Community Food Security Coalition

 

Forward email This email was sent to matts@msu.edu by sdavidson@schoolfoodfocus.org. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by School Food FOCUS | c/o Public Health Solutions | 220 Church Street, 5th Floor | New York | NY | 10013