Blog

Blog Archive

Monday, August 2, 2021

10 Cents a Meal Grant Application Now Open for 2021-22 School Year

Hello!

We are proud to share that the Michigan Department of Education has announced that it is accepting applications for the 10 Cents A Meal for Michigan's Kids & Farms, a state-funded grant providing matching incentive funding up to 10 cents per meal to purchase and serve Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and legumes. 


The program is open to school districts (public, public school academies, or private), residential childcare institutions (RCCIs), and child care centers that participate in the USDA child nutrition programs of Extended Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) during the school year, National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). 


The grant has gone from a regional pilot program to finally being available to applicants statewide, and this latest $5 million dollar investment affirms the importance of 10 Cents a Meal in providing fresh, healthy, local fruits, vegetables, and dry beans for Michigan's schoolchildren. 


The 10 Cents a Meal grant application opened Monday, August 2, 2021 and will close on Monday, August 16th. 10 Cents a Meal is a competitive grant. Scoring of applicants prioritizes districts and ECEs that demonstrate the greatest ability to procure, prepare, and promote Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables and legumes, and plan for related educational activities.


For more information about the application process please visit www.tencentsmichigan.org. Click here to see the application guide. 


Questions about the application or process may be directed to Liana Bennett at BennettL4@michigan.gov or Jaime Malnar at MalnarJ1@michigan.gov.


Additional Program Contacts:


Diane Golzynski, Michigan Department of Education, GolzynskiD@michigan.gov

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

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


Please feel free to share throughout your professional network. Thank you!


Nathan Luis Medina  | Policy Specialist
Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities

P   231-941-6584 ext. 714

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.

2021-2022 FoodCorps Service Member Positions Still Available

Colleagues:


We still have a few service positions open for those interested in being candidates as 2021-2022 FoodCorps AmeriCorps Service Members. In Michigan, we are accepting applications to serve in schools with our site partners in Detroit, Flint, Muskegon, and the Petoskey region. The candidate must, at a minimum, serve 1,700 allowable hours beginning in August 2021 for 11.5 months. Apply here!

 

FoodCorps Michigan has connected over 50,000 children to healthy food in schools across the state since 2010. We complement school wellness objectives by placing FoodCorps' trained AmeriCorps members in kindergarten through 8th grade classes, where they deliver our evidence-backed program to students. Our members work with staff, students, and community members to implement evidence-based strategies that get kids to eat healthily. For more information on applying to serve in Michigan, contact FoodCorps MI Program Coordinator Quan Blunt - quan.blunt@foodcorps.org 


Please assist us by including this information in eNewletters and job boards, and forwarding the attached flyer to all interested parties.


Kind regards,


Dale

 

--



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.

Monday, July 19, 2021

Save the Dates: Michigan Good Food Charter Virtual Gathering Oct. 13-15, 2021

Join us as we wrap up the Michigan Good Food Charter update process and plan for the future of good food in Michigan!

The event will take place on October 13-15 on a virtual platform with live workshops and networking space. 

This interactive agenda will bring together food systems advocates and practitioners to:

  • Preview components of the updated Michigan Good Food Charter
  • Share feedback and big ideas for Michigan's good food future
  • Plan for collaboration and next steps
We are seeking facilitators!
If you are interested, please let us know by completing the application form.
We plan to charge a fee to help offset the costs of the virtual platform and support future networking events like this. Low barrier scholarship opportunities will be provided via registration.

For more information or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Diane Drago: ddrago@dmsevents.com
#2021goodfood
You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to one or more MSU Center for Regional Food Systems list(s). 
Please note that if you unsubscribe from this mailing, you will be removed from all list(s).

Thursday, July 15, 2021

$5 Million Secured for 10 Cents a Meal

Greetings all,
Please see this big news!  Help spread the word to farms, schools, and early childcare centers in your communities, and support them in success.
This is the 10 Cents a Meal Newsletter. Do you subscribe? You are automatically on the list if you sign up as a supporter here
Best, Diane
10 Cents A Meal for Michigan's Kids  & Farms


Have you heard the news? 

HUGE 10 Cents a Meal news! Earlier this week Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the $17.1 billion K-12 budget into law. Included in that budget is $5 million for 10 Cents a Meal for the 2021-2022 school year, more than double the current year's funding of $2 million. 

This additional funding adds to the great legacy of the matching grant program. We are so excited to continue our work helping schools and early childhood education centers connect Michigan's children to Michigan-grown food while supporting our hardworking farmers. 

Preview the Press Release! 

"KENTWOOD, MI - Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed HB 4411, the $17.1 billion K-12 budget, into law July 13, surrounded by students and faculty at East Kentwood High School. The bill accounts for the largest single-year School Aid Fund budget ever passed by the state, and included funding for 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan's Kids & Farms at $5 million, more than doubling the funding from $2 million in 2020-21. 

10 Cents A Meal for Michigan's Kids & Farms (10 Cents a Meal) is a state-funded program providing schools and early childhood education centers (ECEs) with matching incentive funding up to 10 cents per meal to purchase and serve Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and legumes. The grant has gone from a $250,000 state pilot program in 2016 to finally being available to applicants statewide for the 2020-2021 school year, and this latest investment affirms the importance of 10 Cents a Meal in providing fresh, healthy, local fruits, vegetables, and dry beans for Michigan's school and pre-schoolchildren."

Celebrate with Us!

Help us spread the good news and show us some love on social media!

  • Share, like, and comment on our announcement posts on Facebook andInstagram
  • Tweet at us, reply to our tweet, or retweet our post on Twitter

10 Cents a Meal Network Meeting — Save the Date! 

Join Groundwork Center and other supporters of 10 Cents a Meal for our next 10 Cents a Meal Network meeting on Thursday, August 19th 2:30-3:30 p.m. Please save the date and stay tuned for more details. With the expanded $5 million budget for next school year we will have much to talk about regarding the future of the program! 

Ten Cents A Meal
http://www.tencentsmichigan.org/

 

10 Cents A Meal for Michigan's Kids & Farms · MI, United States 
This email was sent to diane@groundworkcenter.org. To stop receiving our emails, click here. 
You can also keep up with Ten Cents A Meal on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram.

 

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Cultivating farm to school and ECE this summer

July 2021
Dear Michigan Farm to School subscribers,

Summertime harvests have just begun, but fall will be here before we know it! Now is a great time to start planning for the many changes we might see in Michigan's K-12 and early care classrooms this upcoming school year.
News
Vermont Farm to School Grant Includes Anti-Racism Education
In Vermont, a farm to school Vision Grant was awarded to South Hero Land Trust to integrate anti-racist education within the existing farm to school program. Storytelling, art, music, agriculture, food, and land stewardship will support students’ and teachers’ learning.

Farm to School Camp in the Upper Peninsula
The first Farm to School Camp was held in June in Ishpeming, with Partridge Creek Farm partnering with Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency (MARESA) Health Educators as hosts to facilitate learning about growing and cooking healthy food.

Michigan Program Making CSAs Available for More Families
A program called Michigan Farm to Family: CSA has expanded options for accessing produce for more Michigan families. Families take part in nutrition education and the program offsets some costs of CSA (community supported agriculture) membership, reducing barriers to participation and increasing connections between farmers, families, and local, seasonal eating.

Events
Collective Kitchen: A Conversation About Building Power and Community Through Food
July 7, 5 p.m. ET

Join CoFED and Design for the Commons for a multi-sensory experience centered around storytelling, food sovereignty, and communal cooking. With food as our common denominator, CoFed and Design for the Commons hope this webinar will facilitate discussion around building community and meaningful relationships through food.

Save the Date! Cultivate Michigan Marketplace: Growing Connections in Early Care and Education
August 16-26, 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET

Join us to build your network in these virtual, regional meet-the-buyers style events! Food suppliers will make connections and learn how to market and sell to early care and education sites, and child care providers will connect with sellers in their region to purchase local foods for the children they serve.

Save the date for your regional event:

  • Monday, August 16 – Upper Peninsula 
  • Tuesday, August 17 - Southwest Michigan
  • Wednesday, August 18 – West Michigan
  • Thursday, August 19 - Northern Lower Peninsula 
  • Monday, August 23 - East Michigan 
  • Tuesday, August 24 - Mid-Michigan 
  • Wednesday, August 25 - Southeast Michigan 
  • Thursday, August 26 – Southeast Michigan (Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties) 

More details and registration to come soon!
Resources
Creative Opportunities for Strengthening Farm to ECE Through Emerging Federal Funding Streams: Webinar and Resources
The National Farm to School Network, the Policy Equity Group, and the Food Research and Action Center shared information about different funding streams and how they can be used in early care and education and more specifically, how agencies can collaborate to support farm to ECE, early learning programs, and farming and food production.

USDA SNAP-Ed Recipes Now Includes a New Seasonal Recipes Section
The SNAP-Ed recipe page is a great resource for healthy and affordable recipes. The site now includes a “Recipe Video Collections” section with step-by-step instructions and a “Seasonal Recipes” section with a featured low-cost, in-season recipe.

Want to Plan a Farm Field Trip?
Taste the Local Difference has a Farm to School Directory with a list of farmers and food producers who are interested in hosting or participating in field trips, helping with school gardens, or in-class instruction.

Visit the directory page to search by county and start planning an event for next school year.
Growing the Next Generation: Grandfriends and Gardens
In Ionia County, Michigan, seniors are gardening with preschoolers to teach them about growing plants, building relationships, and other important life skills. Gardening also benefits the senior participants, many of them noting how interacting with young children has improved their quality of life. Check out this blog to learn more about the benefits of intergenerational gardening and how you can start a program in your community.

Opportunities
Little Seeds Pollinator Pals Grant
Deadline: July 30

The Little Seeds Pollinator Pals Grant presented by Little Seeds and KidsGardening is designed to support youth garden programs interested in preserving and creating pollinator habitats to help rebuild declining pollinator populations. In 2021, eighteen programs will be awarded $500 to support the development of new and expansion of existing pollinator gardens.

USDA Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grant Applications Open
Deadline: July 30

USDA announced the availability of up to $4 million for grants to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production projects. The Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production is accepting proposals for planning and innovation projects, and these grants are part of USDA’s broader efforts to support urban agriculture.

Jobs
Incubator Kitchen Manager at Growing Hope
Deadline: July 9

Growing Hope in Ypsilanti, Michigan has an opening for an Incubator Kitchen Manager. This position will manage the Growing Hope Incubator Kitchen, support the Farmers Market team, and manage the Ypsilanti Farmers MarketPlace building maintenance and grounds upkeep. 

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.

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.