RELEASE: 10 Cents a Meal Application REOPENED for 21-22 School Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

10 Cents a Meal Farm to School Application REOPENED for 2021-22 School Year!

 

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has announced that the application window will be reopened for 10 Cents A Meal for Michigan's Kids & Farms, the state-funded grant providing matching incentive funding up to 10 cents per meal to purchase and serve Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and legumes. 

 

The 10 Cents a Meal grant application window will open on Tuesday, February 2, 2022 through Friday, February 11, 2022.

 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the $17.1 billion K-12 budget into law in July 2021. The bill accounted for the largest single-year School Aid Fund budget ever passed by the state, which included funding for 10 Cents a Meal at $5 million, more than doubling the funding from $2 million in 2020-21. Eligible purchases from the present year may qualify for retroactive reimbursement.

 

The grant has gone from a regional pilot program in 2016 to finally being available to applicants statewide for the 2020-2021 school year with 144 enrollees, and this latest investment from the state affirms the importance of 10 Cents a Meal in providing fresh, healthy, local fruits, vegetables, and dry beans for Michigan's children. Currently, there are 229 unique grantees for the 2021-22 school year, located across the state and in both peninsulas.

 

10 Cents a Meal is open to school districts (public, public school academies, or private), and non-school sponsors of USDA Child Nutrition Programs such as residential childcare institutions (RCCIs), and child care centers and after school programs participating in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). 

 

"10 Cents a Meal provides additional funds for food service directors and child care staff to feed children healthy, local food," said Melanie Wong MA, RDN, Farm to ECE Specialist with Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities. "With the application reopening I am hoping more eligible schools and non-school sponsors will take the opportunity to get additional funding to support their local food purchasing, especially with the bounty of the spring and summer growing seasons quickly approaching."  

 

For more information about the application process, please visit the Tools for Schools and Early Childhood section at www.tencentsmichigan.org.

 

Before applying, make sure to review the application overview, FAQ, and walk-through instruction guide.

 

Questions about the application or the process may be directed to Wendy Crowley, CrowleyW@michigan.gov. The 10 Cents a Meal application is available at the following link: https://mdoe.state.mi.us/GEMS/public/QuestionnaireHome.aspx?code=i2d1taai

 

If you think your food service program may be a good candidate for 10 Cents a Meal, check out this preparatory checklist HERE.

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Program Contacts:

Wendy Crowley, Michigan Department of Education, CrowleyW@michigan.gov

Nathan Medina, Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, nathan@groundworkcenter.org

Colleen Matts, MSU Center for Regional Food Systems, matts@msu.edu

Nathan Luis Medina |  Policy Specialist, 10 Cents a Meal

Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities

P  231.941.6584 ext. 714 W  groundworkcenter.org F  Groundwork Center T  @grndwk A  148 E Front St, Suite 301 ┃ Traverse City, MI 49684

MIFARMTOSCHOOL is a listserv that links farm-to-school stakeholders and practitioners in Michigan, from school food service directors and school administrators to growers and distributors. Content posted to MIFARMTOSCHOOL does not necessarily reflect the views of Michigan State University or the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems.