Dear Michigan Farm to School subscribers,
Education, both in early care and K-12 classrooms, looks different this spring.
As teachers and students adjust to distance learning, we encourage you to think about how you might incorporate farm to school lessons into your virtual classrooms. The news and resources in this edition of our newsletter may offer some inspiration.
MSU Center for Regional Food Systems is continuing to update our list of resources that may be helpful for early care and K-12 education sites looking for food-related resources related to COVID-19, including food assistance, local producer resources, food safety, and guidance on managing stress and anxiety.
Thank you for your continued work for children and families in Michigan. We will continue to stay in communication and provide whatever support we can. Please email us if you have a need that we may be able to help with. | | | | | | Michigan is the First State to Offer Pandemic EBT | Pandemic EBT is an expansion of SNAP benefits to address emergency food needs for families during the pandemic. Families will receive supplemental benefits equivalent to the cost of school breakfast and lunch for each eligible child. Families not currently receiving food assistance benefits can expect to receive a pre-loaded EBT card – known as a Bridge Card – issued under the name of the oldest student in the household in the mail.
| | | | | | Arizona School District Offering Virtual Gardening Lessons | A school district in Arizona is helping families learn about gardening at home despite school closures. Their videos demonstrating basic gardening skills, like how to plant the garden and harvest food, as well as cooking demonstrations, are encouraging students and their families to create their own gardens at home.
| | | | | | Vermont Schools Offering Frozen Meals at Food Distribution Sites | The Burlington School Food Project has come up with a creative solution to increase the variety of food offered while schools are closed: frozen meals. They are sourcing the ingredients for these meals locally whenever they are able to.
| | | | 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference Rescheduled | April 27-29, 2021 Albuquerque, New Mexico
Originally scheduled for April 21-23, 2020, the 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference has been rescheduled for April 2021. Current ticket holders will have their registration transferred to these new dates, with an option to change their registration status. Registration for new tickets will open in Fall 2020.
| | | | | | National Farm to School Network’s COVID-19 Resource Hub | The National Farm to School Network has launched a COVID-19 resource page to make it easier to find resources, information, and news to support farm to school and farm to ECE work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| | | | | Best Practices for Michigan School Food Service Providing Meals During the COVID-19 Outbreak | In early April, the Michigan Department of Education and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development developed guidance on best practices for school food service sites that have continued to operate. It is intended to help staff and volunteers make informed decisions as they continue to provide meals safely throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
| | | | | Serving Meals During COVID-19: Sharing Promising Strategies, Tips, and Tricks | This webinar recording from No Kid Hungry features tips from program operators across the United States for providing meals despite school closures and procurement challenges.
| | | | | Gro More Good Learning Activities for Kids | This is a set of free garden lessons that children and parents can try at home. Based on early childhood education best practices, the series contains 72 hands-on lessons focused on the four seasons of a garden, intended to get children outside to explore and learn.
| | | | | Cultivating Social-Emotional Health with Farm to Early Care and Education | Families and children are confronting stress in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gardening and cooking together can help children develop strong social-emotional skills that can help them cope now and in the future.
| | | | | Racial Equity in the Food System Webinar: Perceptions, Reality, and the Road Ahead | In this webinar, members of the Racial Equity in the Food System workgroup share findings from a national survey of REFS webinar registrants and discuss how organizations are reaching their equity goals.
| | | | | COVID-19 and the Crisis in Food Systems: Symptoms, Causes, and Potential Solutions | COVID-19 has increased the opportunity to examine gaps and inequalities in our food systems, noted in this analysis by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems.
| | | COVID-19 Emergency School Nutrition Funding | GENYOUth is providing grants of up to $3,000 for schools who need resources for meal distribution and delivery efforts during COVID-19. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis. Funds may be used to purchase soft-sided coolers, bags and containers for individual servings, protective gear for food service sanitation and safety, or other equipment to help ensure children continue to receive the nutritious meals they need.
| | | | Native American Agriculture Fund 2020 Request for Applications | Deadline: June 1
The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAFF) is offering grants to eligible recipients in the mission areas of business assistance, agricultural education, technical support and advocacy services. NAFF will also be accepting applications in four special emphasis areas: Traditional Foods and Food Sovereignty, Advocacy, Agriculture Extension, and Youth.
| | | | Share Your Story: Farm to School and ECE During COVID-19 | Communities across the country are demonstrating innovation and resilience as they continue to connect children and families to local foods and education opportunities and support local producers. The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) wants to hear from you about what food systems resilience looks like in your community.
| | | | About Michigan Farm to School
Farm to School centers around efforts to serve local foods in school and early care and education settings. We share ideas, tools and resources to support a range of efforts, from school garden programming to farmer visits and field trips.
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