MI Farm to School December Newsletter

News, resources, and events

Michigan Farm to School Updates Stay informed on the latest news, resources, and events! Join us at the Michigan Farm to School and Early Care Network Listening and Feedback Session on December 16! Michigan Farm to School and Early Care Network invites you to a Listening & Feedback Follow-Up Session on December 16th at 1pm ET. In this meeting, we will review results of the community survey, discuss next steps regarding where we will go as a combined network, and enjoy a holiday mixer together! Please share this invitation widely!  Please, register for the meeting here!  Register here! P.S. If you haven’t yet, please share your ideas on how a MI Farm to School and Early Care Network could serve you by filling out the community survey linked here: www.bit.ly/mifarmtoschoolandece2025. Your feedback is vital! Apply now for Lake Michigan School Food System Spark and Innovation Collaborative Awards! Applications for two new funding opportunities remain open through January 23, 2026: the Spark Awards and the Innovation Collaborative Awards!  Spark Awards  Spark Awards fund projects that need a short-term infusion of funds for school food system and product improvements, such as capacity-building, planning, and product-testing projects. ($30K - $100K per year)  Innovation Collaborative Awards Innovation Collaborative Awards fund projects that promote systems-level change of the school food system, such as scaling up of programs, forming regional partnerships, or developing or integrating new programs or products. ($250K - $500K over 2 ½ years)  View a recording of the 2025 informational webinar linked here.   Those interested in applying — including farmers, food producers, School Food Authorities and others working to improve school meals — can reach out via our Michigan Interest Form. Free grant writing support is available to Michigan applicants! Staff at CRFS, serving as your Innovation Hub state leads, are offering weekly drop-in office hours to answer questions as well as connect you with partners and resources to bring your ideas to life.  Visit innovateschoolfood.org for the most up to date grant information.  Innovation Hub Resource Links Upcoming Events: Green and Healthy Schools 101 December 16, 2025 Green & Healthy Schools Director, Cynthia Walters, will present models and frameworks for transforming green schoolyards, expanding career pathways, and developing district wellness networks to produce positive outcomes for the health of people and the planet. You will also hear from school district leaders and partner organizations who will share how collective impact has successfully brought projects to the finish line in neighboring Ohio. Register School Gardens: Communicating Successes January 21, 2026 Learn how to effectively share your school garden’s story and highlight its impact!  This webinar’s presenters will showcase their storytelling strategies, including a website-based success dashboard and social media planning co-creating with students, among other highlighted best practices. Participants will walk away with practical ideas and tools to boost visibility, engage their communities, and build lasting support.  Register 2026 Growing School Gardens Summit February 19-22, 2026 Save the date for February 19 to 22 in Phoenix, Arizona when over 700 school garden educators will gather for four days of peer-to-peer learning, networking, and movement building. Registration is now open with early bird pricing through December 17!  Register Plant Selection and Seed Saving  March 25, 2026 Discover how to choose plants that will thrive in your school garden while fostering meaningful student engagement.  This webinar will cover tips for selecting resilient, educational crops and introduce hands-on activities to spark curiosity around seed saving. Participants will gain practical strategies to connect students to the full life cycle of plants and build lasting garden stewardship.  Register Principals Advancing School Gardens April 29, 2026 Join the School Garden Support Organization Network to hear how school principals are championing and sustaining garden programs within their schools.  This webinar will explore the unique role of school leaders in fostering garden-based learning and building supportive structures. Participants will gain insights and inspiration from real examples of principal-led garden program growth.  Register Resources, Opportunities, and Inspiration: When Podcasts Collide: The School Garden Podcast Crossover Event  Check out the Farm to School podcast, which features stories from the frontlines of food, farming, and education—where young minds grow and agriculture takes root.  Starting a School or Community Garden Course Do you love your community and want to start a school or community garden? Are you a beginning gardener looking for direction so that your school or community garden is as successful as it can be? If so, consider taking this free class! The "Starting a School or Community Garden: Essential Steps for Success" course from MSUE offers a flexible, self-paced online learning experience. Winter will be a great time to access this info if planning a garden in the spring!  USDA Farm to School Planning Toolkit  If you're planning to launch or develop a farm to school program, the Farm to School Planning Toolkit is a valuable resource. It's tailored to the needs of schools, school districts, and community partners, and provides guidance on key considerations and useful resources. From tips and examples to insights from those who have gone through the process, the toolkit has a wealth of information to help you get started.  Mindful Choice Meals Program  Cafeteria Culture has launched Mindful Choice Meals, a free, student-led program designed to reduce food waste and build environmental literacy in schools. This hands-on initiative has helped schools reduce plate waste by 30–50% and increase student cafeteria food consumption by 15–40%.   The toolkit shows steps to educate your school community about the USDA’s Offer vs Serve (OVS) rules so students can actively choose what they want to eat to reduce untouched food waste.   North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems  North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS) showcases Indigenous chefs and ingredients in the NĀTIFS’ videos and downloadable resources like plant cards and ingredient profiles. NĀTIFS is dedicated to re-establishing Native food ways. Explore, model and share this engaging and useful video series.   The 2025 Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Harvest of the Month  This monthly packet encourages children to learn about nutrition, agriculture, Indigenous food culture and cooking with monthly recipes, coloring pages, and fact sheets. Each month is focused on a different culturally relevant food in season. December’s feature is MUTTON! Federal Policy Updates & Further Reading Selling Local Food to Schools: A USDA Resource for Producers  Interactive State Farm to School Policy Handbook Food as Prevention: Growing Healthier Futures Through Farm to School Dry Beans! A Cultivate Michigan Winter Food Winter is a great time to cook up Michigan dry beans! Explore Michigan dry bean sourcing tips, resources, and recipes for your school site. Learn more Did this email get forwarded to you? Join the mailing list here. 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. Visit mifarmtoschool.msu.edu >> FOODSYSTEMS.MSU.EDU   You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the MIFARMTOSCHOOL listserv. Please note that if you unsubscribe from this mailing, you will be removed from the listserv.

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Re: Garden grant for Detroit area schools - App Deadline Dec. 12 2025

Good morning Ms. Lehman,

I represent Gwinn Food System,  a 501c3 corporation in Gwinn,  Michigan. 

Our focus is to identify less common food crops that can be grown successfully in the U.P.

We now oversee 140 Food gardens in the Gwinn area.  We installed a garden at the Gwinn school system. 

As we grow the food crops, our excess goes to partners such as St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry,  Upper Great Lakes Health Clinic, Care Clinic and through churches. Collectively we have fed hundreds of people. 

We have permission to start a food distribution center on the hardest more income area in association with Gwinn Schools. 

Is there anything to can think of to support infrastructure, container purchases for food baskets, signage,  anything else you can think of? 

Thank you, 

Steve Finley,  director 

Gwinn Food System 

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
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From: Lehman, Julie <lehmanju@MSU.EDU>
Sent: Monday, December 8, 2025 11:01:55 AM
To: MIFARMTOSCHOOL@LIST.MSU.EDU <MIFARMTOSCHOOL@LIST.MSU.EDU>
Subject: Garden grant for Detroit area schools - App Deadline Dec. 12 2025

 

Good morning!

Sharing a grant opportunity for accredited elementary schools located in a school system of the greater Detroit metropolitan area. These grants are for:

• New Garden Installation
• Expansion of a Current Garden
• Enhancement of an Existing Garden

$7500 in resources and support. Info and application here. 

Application deadline: December 12, 2025

Julie Lehman (she/her)

Farm to Youth Network Coordinator

Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems 

Michigan Farm to ECE

Michigan Farm to School

Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub

Your gift will help us support communities to realize their own food system visions.

Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg–Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. Go beyond acknowledging.

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.

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THIS WEDS: Info Webinar for Innovation Hub Grant! REGISTER NOW!

Good Afternoon! Hopefully by now you are well aware of the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub grants, which are open and accepting applications through January 23, 2026! 

This Wednesday, December 10, there will be an Informational Grant Webinar; a great chance to learn more! Please share this invite and the registration links below with those interested in applying — including farmers, food producers, School Food Authorities, and others working to improve school meals. Here are social media links for easy sharing: Facebook + Instagram + LinkedIn. 

The 2025 Innovation Hub Grant Informational Webinar is taking place in ENGLISH on December 10, 2025, from 1:30 - 3 pm EST.

This informational webinar will cover an overview of the Requests for Applications, including what's changed from the first round of Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Awards, and the answers to a few of your most frequently asked questions. There will be time to meet and greet the Michigan State Leads, along with other partners who are interested in Innovation Hub grants ! 1:30-2:30 pm is the info portion and 2:30-3 pm is the Michigan specific breakout session. Please register for the Informational Webinar in English here. 

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The 2025 Innovation Hub Grant Informational Webinar is taking place in SPANISH on December 10, 2025, from 12 - 1:30 pm EST.

Gracias por su interés en nuestro seminario web informativo del Centro de Innovación 2025, que ahora se llevará a cabo en español el 10 de diciembre de 2025, de 12 pm - 1:30 pm EST. El Centro de Innovación del Sistema Alimentario Escolar del Lago Michigan se complace en ofrecer la segunda ronda de los Premios Spark y los Premios de Innovación Colaborativa. Este seminario web ofrecerá una visión general de las solicitudes de aplicaciones, incluyendo los cambios respecto a la primera ronda, y responderá a algunas de sus preguntas más frecuentes. ¡Habrá tiempo para conocer a los Líderes estatales y a otros socios interesados ​​en las subvenciones del Centro de Innovación para su estado! Registrese aqui para el seminario web informativo en español.

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If you can't make this Wednesday's Informational Webinar, connect via... 

Office Hours

Do you have questions about applying or just want to talk through your ideas? The state lead team from Michigan can help guide you from idea to application submission. We're online three times a week to answer questions and offer support with your application. Weekly drop-in office hours:  

• Tuesday, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST - with Julie Lehman
• Wednesday, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST - with May Tsupros
• Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EST - with Julie Lehman

    The Zoom link for drop-in office hours is posted online here. Pop in anytime and let's talk!

Michigan Applicant Interest Form & Directory

Want to stay up to date on Innovation Hub resources and connect with other interested Michigan applicants? Fill out the Michigan Interest Form linked on the Center for Regional Food Systems website. Michigan grant applicants are provided with free grant writing support. Interested in connecting with others looking at this grant? Check out the Michigan Interested Applicants Directory

Julie Lehman (she/her)

Farm to Youth Network Coordinator

Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems 

Michigan Farm to ECE

Michigan Farm to School

Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub

Your gift will help us support communities to realize their own food system visions.

Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg–Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. Go beyond acknowledging.