As part of the Healthy Kids, Healthy Programs 2022 Summit, JSI is excited to showcase Massachusetts Farm to School and their resources to support School Meal Programs in School Year 2022-2023.
Massachusetts Farm to School engages and supports school nutrition programs by strengthening local farms and fisheries and promoting healthy communities by increasing local food purchasing and education at schools. Here are the top 3 resources shared by Massachusetts Farm to School to help school districts in the upcoming school year.
- Harvest of the Month Program: Harvest of the Month is a great opportunity to celebrate local abundance, experiment with new foods and recipes, and get some positive recognition for your school district and/or school. The program’s goal is to encourage healthy food choices by increasing students’ exposure to seasonal foods while also supporting local farmers and building excitement about school meals.
- Guide to Using a Simple 3-Quote Method to Increase Your Local Purchasing: In partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, MFTS has developed a series of template Request for Quotes that you can use to solicit up to $50,000 annually from local producers.
- School Garden Food Safety Manual: As more school gardens are built, developed, and maintained, food safety within the school garden has become increasingly important. The School Garden Food Safety Assessment Tools, Resources, and Procedures manual were developed by Mass. Farm to School and the Mass. Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) and contains a standard framework and assessment for maintaining food safety in the school garden aligned with MDAR’s Commonwealth Quality Program (CQP) for farms.
For more information or to connect with Massachusetts Farm to School, kindly email lisa@massfarmtoschool.org or call 413-253-3844. Be sure to connect on social media via Facebook @MassFarmtoSchool and Twitter @MAFarmtoSchool.
Thank you to Massachusetts Farm to School for supporting Massachusetts School Meal Programs and participating in the Countdown to the #HKHHP 2022 Summit!
