At Vermont FEED, a huge part of our work is collaborating with school nutrition professionals and supporting them in incorporating more local, fresh food into their menus. As we enter the growing season, we’re sharing more about how we’re helping to strengthen the connection between cafeteria and community.

How does this connection pay off? When school meals are fresh and reflect student experiences, more students choose to eat the meals. When participation increases, more revenue is generated, and more money can be put towards buying fresh, local ingredients from Vermont farmers, setting off the Virtuous Cycle of Farm to School.

And, when national supply chains broke down during the pandemic, many Vermont school nutrition programs relied on purchasing directly from local farmers and producers and our network of regional food hubs. This isn’t just a nice idea, it's a concrete way to create sustainable food systems within our school communities and support our farmers.

We've known for years that school nutrition staff want to feed kids more local foods, but are challenged by costs. To tackle this challenge we advocated for a local foods incentive for schools that was passed by the Vermont Legislature in 2021. Now we're helping schools qualify for this grant program. Providing this local purchasing opportunity is essential for feeding more kids local food, directing more dollars to Vermont farmers, and building stronger local food systems.

Below are some resources designed to support getting local foods in Vermont schools and early childhood programs. If you're looking to get started on your local purchasing journey, please reach out to us for support!

This guide outlines the complex systems behind how Vermont school school nutrition programs feed students and how farm to school programs can improve those meals.


Local food purchasing is an important component of a robust farm to early childhood program, but there is no one-size-fits-all way to do it. This guide helps you articulate your values, find local food throughout the year, and create a practical system for your program.


This virtual professional development series is designed for Vermont K-12 educators. Learn about implementing food systems, nutrition education, and hands-on learning into your curriculum. For a focus on local food, we suggest School Food 101, Nuts & Bolts of Farm to School, and Trauma Informed Practices (but all are worth watching!).
“Food is an entry point to all sorts of things, including social justice,” shares Aimee Arandia Østensen, Professional Learning Facilitator. “Instead of only providing access to familiar recipes and stories, why not make VTHOM a window into something more, something that is representative of all the people in Vermont?”

As part of the Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network, we're excited to share updates to a much-loved resource in our farm to school community.
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Vermont FEED is a farm to school partnership project of