FoodCorps Michigan

Hi all,

FoodCorps Michigan will be sending out newsletters and information about important events and application deadlines to interested individuals. If you would like to receive these communications, please reply to this e-mail and I will put you on the list. Your inbox will not be inundated with FoodCorps happenings, I promise.

Attached is a pamphlet with information about the program if you haven't heard of us before. Please send this along to anyone who might be interested.

Thanks!

--

Robyn Wardell

FoodCorps Fellow, Michigan

Office: (810) 244-8527

Cell: (248) 508-7593

www.foodcorps.org

 

 

  

Here!

School Composting in Michigan: Your Input Needed!

Hi everyone,

I am working on a project to promote school composting in Michigan. I'm putting together a resource to help schools get their own composting programs started. If you are involved in a school composting project or knowledgeable about institutional composting resources I would love to hear your input about best practices so that we can make composting an accessible option for more schools around the state.

Please fill out this quick survey to help me get started. Thank you!

--

Robyn Wardell

FoodCorps Fellow, Michigan

Office: (810) 244-8527

Cell: (248) 508-7593

www.foodcorps.org

 

 

  

Here!

Re: F2S + New Meal Pattern

Sincere apologies for this second email. Note that the proper email address for both rsvp’ing and sending feedback for the webinar on Thursday is:

 

Laura.Brown@fns.usda.gov  

 

 

Colleen Matts

Farm to Institution Specialist

Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University

480 Wilson Rd | Rm 303 Natural Resources Building | East Lansing, MI 48824

(p) 517.432.0310

www.foodsystems.msu.edu | www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

From: Matts, Colleen
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2012 1:31 PM
To: mifarmtoschool@list.msu.edu
Subject: FW: F2S + New Meal Pattern

 

Greetings,

I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving!

 

Please see info below, including contact info to RSVP, about a USDA Farm to School webinar on the new school meal pattern this Thursday, November 29^th.

 

Best,

 

Colleen Matts

Farm to Institution Specialist

Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University

480 Wilson Rd | Rm 303 Natural Resources Building | East Lansing, MI 48824

(p) 517.432.0310

www.foodsystems.msu.edu | www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

From: Kane, Deborah - FNS [mailto:Deborah.Kane@fns.usda.gov]
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 1:55 PM
To: Kane, Deborah - FNS
Cc: Brown, Laura - FNS
Subject: F2S + New Meal Pattern

 

I wanted to let you know about an upcoming webinar and ask for your help in making sure it is a productive one.

 

What: F2S + New Meal Pattern

When: Thursday, November 29^th, 1:00 EST

RSVP for dial in instructions to: Laura Brown via Laura.Brown@fns.usda.gov.

 

Now that schools are back in session and working their way through new meal pattern implementation, USDA would like to host a webinar to focus on inclusion of local and regional products in the new meal pattern. Early feedback from the field suggests there is a broad continuum regarding how school districts are responding to the new regulations. As it relates to adoption of “farm to school” approaches, some schools see plenty of opportunity to buy local and others feel more constrained with regard to options for buying local. In addition to USDA Farm to School personnel, FNS Child Nutrition Program staff will also be on hand to answer any questions you might have about the new meal pattern in general and local and regional products in specific.

 

Here’s how you can help make sure it is a productive webinar: Please send any questions and/or feedback in advance so that we can prepare the proper resources and recruit the proper experts. What are you hearing in your communities or from your constituents? We’d like to hear about both positive and negative perspectives, as well as specific questions people have.

 

Please direct all questions and feedback to Laura Brown via email at Laura.Brown@fns.usda.gov.

 

Thanks so much. Looking forward to speaking with many of you on the 29^th.   

 

 

Deborah J. Kane

National Director, USDA Farm to School Program

(c) 503.260.1717

 

 

 

 

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

FW: F2S + New Meal Pattern

Greetings,

I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving!

 

Please see info below, including contact info to RSVP, about a USDA Farm to School webinar on the new school meal pattern this Thursday, November 29^th.

 

Best,

 

Colleen Matts

Farm to Institution Specialist

Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University

480 Wilson Rd | Rm 303 Natural Resources Building | East Lansing, MI 48824

(p) 517.432.0310

www.foodsystems.msu.edu | www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

From: Kane, Deborah - FNS [mailto:Deborah.Kane@fns.usda.gov]
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 1:55 PM
To: Kane, Deborah - FNS
Cc: Brown, Laura - FNS
Subject: F2S + New Meal Pattern

 

I wanted to let you know about an upcoming webinar and ask for your help in making sure it is a productive one.

 

What: F2S + New Meal Pattern

When: Thursday, November 29^th, 1:00 EST

RSVP for dial in instructions to: Laura Brown via lbrown@fns.usda.gov

 

Now that schools are back in session and working their way through new meal pattern implementation, USDA would like to host a webinar to focus on inclusion of local and regional products in the new meal pattern. Early feedback from the field suggests there is a broad continuum regarding how school districts are responding to the new regulations. As it relates to adoption of “farm to school” approaches, some schools see plenty of opportunity to buy local and others feel more constrained with regard to options for buying local. In addition to USDA Farm to School personnel, FNS Child Nutrition Program staff will also be on hand to answer any questions you might have about the new meal pattern in general and local and regional products in specific.

 

Here’s how you can help make sure it is a productive webinar: Please send any questions and/or feedback in advance so that we can prepare the proper resources and recruit the proper experts. What are you hearing in your communities or from your constituents? We’d like to hear about both positive and negative perspectives, as well as specific questions people have.

 

Please direct all questions and feedback to Laura Brown via email at lbrown@fns.usda.gov.

 

Thanks so much. Looking forward to speaking with many of you on the 29^th.   

 

 

Deborah J. Kane

National Director, USDA Farm to School Program

(c) 503.260.1717

 

 

 

 

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

FW: USDA Awards First Grants to Increase Local Foods in Eligible Schools

Hi all,

Please see the USDA press release below announcing the first USDA Farm to School Grants. Congrats to the Michigan Land Use Institute and the Waterford School District for their awards in this competitive, national grant opportunity!

And thanks to all of those who submitted proposals and represented Michigan well! This funding opportunity will be available again next year, and I’ll be sure to send along more information as it becomes available.

 

Best,

 

Colleen Matts

Farm to Institution Specialist

Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University

480 Wilson Rd | Rm 303 Natural Resources Building | East Lansing, MI 48824

(p) 517.432.0310

www.foodsystems.msu.edu | www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: USDA Office of Communications <usda@public.govdelivery.com>
Date: Wed, Nov 14, 2012 at 11:02 AM
Subject: USDA Awards First Grants to Increase Local Foods in Eligible Schools

---

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. You are subscribed to USDA Office of Communications.   Release No. 0343.12 Contact: Office of Communications (202)720-4623   USDA Awards First Grants to Increase Local Foods in Eligible Schools 68 Projects Support Nearly 2 Million Students   WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2012 – Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced more than $4.5 million in grants for 68 projects, spanning 37 states and the District of Columbia, to connect school cafeterias with local agricultural producers. "When schools buy food from nearby producers, their purchasing power helps create local jobs and economic benefits, particularly in rural agricultural communities," Merrigan said. "Evidence also suggests that when kids understand more about where food comes from and how it is produced, they are more likely to make healthy eating choices." The first-ever USDA Farm to School grants will help schools respond to the growing demand for locally sourced foods and increase market opportunities for producers and food businesses, including food processors, manufacturers, distributors. Grants will also be used to support agriculture and nutrition education efforts such as school gardens, field trips to local farms, and cooking classes. The grants will serve more than 3,200 schools and 1.75 million students, nearly half of whom live in rural communities. Projects are diverse. Some award recipients, such as the Lawrence County District in Walnut Ridge, Ark., are using grant funds to coordinate efforts with other school districts to aggregate buying power and attract new producers to the school food service market. Other funded projects, such as Weld County School District 6 in Greeley, Colo., will expand kitchen facilities to serve local products year-round through processing and freezing techniques. Also, Des Moines Municipal Schools in New Mexico will receive grant funding to increase the types of products it buys from local vendors. Local cattle farmers already supply the school district with 100 percent locally produced beef; USDA grant funds will be used to develop relationships with local fruit and vegetable producers to serve a full meal using locally sourced products. This year's funding also includes: Twenty-five programs that create jobs by hiring new farm to school coordinators, with 43 projects supporting and maintaining existing staff. In New Haven, Conn., CitySeed, Inc. will hire a procurement specialist to help New Haven School Food Programs increase the amount of regionally grown produce in the meals of more than 20,900 urban public school students. (Nearly 80 percent of them qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch). Thirty-one programs that use food hubs, or partner with mainline distributors. In California, the Community Alliance of Family Farmers will work with a local distributor to create a new line of local produce, making it easier for schools to source products through current distribution channels. Forty-four projects that will result in development of new products and menu items. For example, the Lake County Community Development Corporation, in Ronan, Mont., will coordinate with regional lentil farmers to procure protein and fiber rich lentil patties. An estimated 47 projects will develop new partnerships by working with and educating farmers and ranchers new to the school food market. For example, the Washington State Department of Agriculture will conduct regional "mobile tours" in which agricultural producers and school food service directors tour the state together, learning about agricultural specialties, identifying opportunities for partnership, and solidifying regional networks. Three projects support American Indian communities, including the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Cloquet, Minn. The reservation will implement a program to improve access to local and traditional foods to increase local economic benefits for producers as well as promote a healthy diet among their youth. More than 50 projects support hands-on learning activities, such as field trips to farms and creation of school gardens. The Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education, Inc. will coordinate tours of nearby farms for its 35 school partners, serving nearly 21,000 students. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) amended Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to establish a Farm to School program in order to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. Farm to School grants are administered by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. The full list of awards granted for fiscal year 2013 is available at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/F2S/pdf/F2S_Grants-FY2013.pdf. Farm to School is one component of USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative, launched in 2009 to coordinate the Department's work on local and regional food systems and create new opportunities for farmers, ranchers, consumers and rural communities. An interactive view of USDA programs that support local and regional foods, including farm to school and farm to institution, is available in the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass. The KYF Compass consists of an interactive map of USDA-supported local and regional food projects and an accompanying guide to our programs and results on the ground. In October, the map was expanded and now includes projects from nine other federal agencies. # USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). #  Contact Us   STAY CONNECTED:   SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Preferences  |  Delete profile  |  Help

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If you have questions about USDA activities, please visit our Ask the Expert page. This feature is designed to assist you in obtaining the information you are seeking.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

 

FoodCorps is Serving it Up in Michigan!

Through the hands and minds of young leaders, FoodCorps strives to give all youth an enduring relationship to healthy food. We are a national nonprofit that seeks to address the childhood obesity epidemic through nutrition education, farm to school programs, and school gardens. The Center for Regional Food Systems at MSU and its local partners currently host 6 service members in Flint, Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Traverse City.

If you are interested in learning about the program, what we have been up to in the state and what we hope to accomplish in our second year running, please take a look at our quarterly newsletter or Like us on Facebook!

--

Robyn Wardell

FoodCorps Fellow, Michigan

Office: (810) 244-8527

Cell: (248) 508-7593

www.foodcorps.org