Re: Announcing the 2012-2013 Michigan Farm to School Grant Program!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Re: Announcing the 2012-2013 Michigan Farm to School Grant Program!

To all interested!

The MSU Center for Regional Food Systems will host a MI Farm to School Grant Program Info Session this Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9am in room 221 of the Natural Resources building AND next Friday afternoon, April 27, 2012 at 3pm in room 152 of the Natural Resources building at Michigan State University. Please feel free to bring your questions, ideas and concerns about the MI Farm to School Grant Program and/or the planning and implementation applications to explore and address together! These sessions will also be available to join online at: http://csmottgroup.adobeconnect.com/infosession_2012/. The online meeting room is limited to 100 guests so we will start accepting guests into the meeting room promptly and only the first 100 will be able to join. Both sessions will be recorded and saved on the website (www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu) for future reference!

I look forward to speaking with you soon!

Jekeia

Jekeia Murphy
Academic Specialist

Center for Regional Food Systems

(formerly C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems)

Michigan State University
480 Wilson Road

309 Natural Resources bldg.
East Lansing, MI 48824
P: 517-432-0308
F: 517-353-3834
stilljek@msu.edu

From: Jekeia Murphy <stilljek@anr.msu.edu>
Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2012 17:17:52 -0400
To: Jekeia Murphy <stilljek@anr.msu.edu>
Cc: "Matts, Colleen" <matts@anr.msu.edu>
Subject: Announcing the 2012-2013 Michigan Farm to School Grant Program!

FYI…this went out on several list servs today. Please feel free to share to forward to your colleagues and networks.

Announcing the 2012-2013 Michigan Farm to School Grant Program!

Food service directors must often work through numerous challenges to start or expand farm to school programs. The goal of the MI Farm to School Grant Program is to help overcome some of these challenges, and initiate and expand farm to school programs across the state.

With funding from the WK Kellogg Foundation, the MI Farm to School Grant Program was able to award EIGHT Michigan K-12 schools/districts with funds to plan for or implement farm to school programs in 2011. The second grant program year is September 1, 2012 – June 1, 2013, early childcare programs are eligible to apply for planning grants.

· The MI Farm to School Planning Grant will help schools and early childcare programs plan for integrating fresh, local foods into cafeterias AND ultimately develop a Farm to School Action Plan to implement a farm to school program after the grant year.

· The MI Farm to School Implementation Grant will help schools put existing farm to school plans into action AND ultimately develop a Farm to School Sustainability Plan to keep a farm to school program going and growing in future years.

Eligibility:

· A goal of this program is to help vulnerable children find more healthy and local food choices in school meals programs. K-12 school food service programs must have at least 50% free and reduced-price meal enrollment and at least 50% of early childcare program participants must be eligible to receive Tier I reimbursement rates at the time this application is completed.

· Only school food service/nutrition directors can apply for their school district(s) or school(s). Food service directors from a school district may choose to focus on a few school buildings or an entire school district's food service program, but the district must have 50% free and reduced price meal enrollment. Private or charter schools may apply as an individual school.

· Only one application for either the planning or implementation grant (not both) is allowed per district or private/charter school per grant year.

Please review the application materials and sample grant applications attached for more information. You can also find these materials on our website athttp://www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu/index.php?id=48.

To be reviewed, complete applications must be received by 5 pm EST on Friday, May 4^th, 2012. Email completed application as an attachment to Jekeia Murphy at stilljek@msu.edu.

Best,