Upcoming Events
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NFSN Trending Topics Webinar: Celebrating Farm to School Month
October 5, 2017 2:00-3:00
Hear how states across the country are celebrating Farm to School Month. Gather ideas for how you can get involved.
Register:
HERE
Maine Gleaning Week
October 7-16, 2017
National Farm to School Network Farm to Early Care and Education Quarterly Webinar
Farm to Early Care and Education in Head Start - A Natural Alignment
October 10, 2017 3:00-4:00
Economic Impacts of Farm to School Webinar
October 11, 2017 12:00-1:00
Discussion of findings from the new report from NFSN and CO State Univ. FMI &
Register:
HERE
National Farm to School Month: Early Care and Education
October 17, 2017 12:00-1:15
Learn the benefits of farm to early care and education and ways to celebrate Farm to School Month in the ECE setting.
FMI & Register:
HERE
Aquaculture Educators Network Workshop
October 23, 2017
University of Maine Hutchinson Center, Belfast, ME
Fee: Free
NOFA Organic Land Care Program
November 7-10, 2017
Unity, ME
Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care
Fee:
$600-$695
Maine Farm to Institution Summit
Save the Date
February 9, 2018
Snow Date: February 12, 2018
University of Maine Hutchinson Center, Belfast, ME
FMI & Work Shop Proposals (due Oct 15):
Campus Farmer Summit: What's Growing on Your Campus?
February 10, 2018
Stonehill College, Easton, MA
National Farm to Cafeteria Conference
April 25-27, 2018
Cincinnati, OH
Due Nov 14, 2017: Request for Work Shop & Poster Proposals:
HERE
National Ag in the Classroom Conference
June 26-29, 2018
Portland, ME
Work shop proposals due October 6, 2017
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| Maine Farm to School Network Contacts |
|  State Coordinator: Renee Page Healthy Communities of the Capital Area r.page@hccame.org 207.588.5020
Aroostook District: John Chartier
Aroostook County Healthy Aroostook
jchartier@mofga.org 207.521.1200
Central District: Kelly LaCasse
Kennebec & Somerset Counties
Healthy Northern Kennebec
Cumberland District: Martha Poliquin
Cumberland County
Falmouth Schools Nutrition Director
Downeast District: Katie Freedman
Hancock & Washington Counties
Healthy Acadia
katie@healthyacadia.org 207.288.5331
MidCoast District: Heather Burt
Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc & Waldo Counties
Penquis District: Bonnie Young
Penobscot & Piscataquis Counties
Western District: Molly Clark
Androscoggin, Franklin, & Oxford Counties
Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County
York District: Kristine Jenkins
York County
Partners for a Hunger-Free York County
National Farm to School Network Core Partner: Renee Page Healthy Communities of the Capital Area r.page@hccame.org 207.588.5020 National Farm to School Network Supporting Partner: Allie Harvell Let's Go! Program Coordinator aharvell@mmc.org 207.662.3393 National Farm to School Network Supporting Partner: Viña Lindley University of Maine Cooperative Extension, FoodCorps vina.lindley@maine.edu 207.342.5971 National Farm to School Network Supporting Partner: Jessica Nixon Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, Director of Market Development jessica.l.nixon@maine.gov 207.287.3494 National Farm to School Network Supporting Partner: Stephanie Stambach Maine Department of Education Child Nutrition Services, Child Nutrition Consultant and Farm to School Contact stephanie.stambach@maine.gov 207.624.6732 USDA Farm to School Northeast Regional Lead: Danielle Fleury danielle.fleury@fns.usda.gov 617.565.1604 |
| Maine Farm to Institution Contacts |
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Katie Freedman,
Healthy Acadia Food Programs Director, Maine Farm to School Network Downeast District Representative
Emily Kain,
MaineHealth, Community Health Improvement Program Manager
Lauren Kaskey, Health Care Without Harm, Regional Coordinator
Ken Morse,
Maine Network of Community Food Councils Coordinator
Riley Neugebauer,
Local Food Systems Consultant
Renee Page,
Healthy Communities of the Capital Area, Assistant Director
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Links to Useful Resources
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National Farm to School Network
NFSN enables every child to have access to nutritious food while simultaneously benefiting communities and local farmers.
 USDA Farm to School
Resources to support local farm to school programs.
FMI & Resources:
 Maine Ag in the Classroom
MAITC provides information about agricultural concepts to teachers, students, and interested citizens.
Maine School Garden Network
MSGN promotes and supports educational gardens for youth and encourages school programs that teach healthy eating and environmental stewardship.
Maine Food Atlas
Discover local food assets in your community. Find growers, processors, food security organizations, farm to school groups, and more. It is easy to add your own site to the map too.
 Aquaculture Education Network The University of Maine Aquaculture Research Institute hosts an aquaculture education listserv to find and share aquaculture education materials and resources. To join the listserv created by and for educators and organizations from Maine and beyond, send a message to
aq_educators_news-subscribe-request@lists.maine.edu with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
Farm to Institution New England
This 6-state network of nonprofit, private, and public entities is working together to transform the food system by increasing the amount of good, local food served in the region's schools, hospitals, colleges, and other institutions.
Visit:
farmtoinstitution.org
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| Join Our List |
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Happy Fall! Please enjoy these updates from the Maine Farm to School Network and Maine Farm to Institution. Please share this update with others and encourage them subscribe to this newsletter. Also be sure to let us know what's happening in your area related to Farm and Sea to School and other Institutions.
Renee Page,
Maine Farm to School Network Coordinator
Maine Farm to Institution Coordinator
National Farm to School Network Core Partner
Contact Information:
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| Maine Farm to Institution Summit |
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Save the Date and Call for Work Shop Proposals
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The Maine Farm to School Network has hosted an annual conference during Farm to School Month in October for each of the past five years. This year, we are expanding the scope to engage additional food-serving institutional sectors such as health care, higher education, correctional facilities, and more. The conference will shift to a summit format and seeks to engage more farmers and food producers by moving the timing to February from fall.
Please Save the Date, February 9, 2018 at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast for this daylong event that seeks to explore the power of institutions to transform Maine's food system.
Please note, this event will replace this year's Maine Farm to School Conference.
The Maine Farm to School Network and Maine Farm to Institution, along with their partner organizations, aim to gather farmers and food producers, food service operators, advocates, administrators, policymakers, and others dedicated to cultivating the power of institutions in developing an equitable and resilient Maine food system. The Maine Farm to Institution Summit is designed to inspire and energize through sharing best practice and innovative strategies, enhancing network capacity through skill building, and strengthening our collective impact by engaging food producers, educators, decision makers, leaders, and policymakers in shared problem solving.
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| October is National Farm to School Month |
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| Click on the image for more information and resources |
Here are four easy ways you can celebrate National Farm to School Month
- Sign the Take Action Pledge and commit to taking action to advance farm to school in your community this October. Add your name to the pledge and you will be entered to win the Farm to School Month sweepstakes! Ten winners will receive a prize package that includes: assets from the Captain Planet Foundation Project Learning Garden™ program, a Stand2Learn student standing desk, and a collection of seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds. No action is too small - take the pledge now!
- Explore the national calendar of Farm to School Month events and see what celebrations are taking place in Maine and beyond.
- Download free National Farm to School Month materials and resources, including stickers, posters, coloring sheets, bookmarks and more, available in the Resource Library. Share these materials to help spread the word about farm to school!
- Register for the free Celebrating Farm to School Month webinar - October 5, 2017 2:00-3:00. Gather ideas from other states who will share how they are celebrating Farm to School Month. Register HERE
Be sure to share pictures and stories with the Maine Farm to School Network. Send to Renee Page at r.page@hccame.org.
#F2SMonth
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| Celebrate Maine Gleaning Week |
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October 7-16, 2017
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600 pounds of green beans rescued from Spear's Farm by Healthy Communities of the Capital Area and the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office |
Maine is celebrating its first ever Maine Gleaning Week, beginning
October 7 and culminating on World Food Day, October 16. Did you know that as much as 40% of food grown is wasted? Gleaning helps rescue some of that perfectly good food and redirects it to those who need it most at food pantries, schools, and other sites across the state. A collaborative of farm surplus rescue efforts will be gathering crops from Maine's fields and engaging communities in resourceful and equitable food system activities. Find out what is happening in your area at
www.mainegleaningnetwork.org.
To celebrate the culmination of Maine Gleaning Week, Healthy Communities of the Capital Area, with support from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, is hosting a free screening of the yet to be released film
Wasted!: The Story of Food Waste at the Portland Public Library on October 16, World Food Day, at 5:30 pm. Reserve your free seat
HERE.
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| New Tools |
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Explore this list of fact sheets, grant opportunities, tool kits, informational videos, and more to support your local farm to institution efforts.
Benefits of Farm to School
Tips for Hosting a Member of Congress or other guests in your cafeteria
Are you thinking about hosting a member of Congress or a local legislator for Farm to School Month, Maine Harvest Lunch Week, or simply to showcase all that is happening in the biggest classroom in the building - the cafeteria?
Cafeteria Visits 101 from the School Nutrition Association is full of practical tips to make the visit go smoothly and have the most impact.
Whole Kids Foundation's School Garden Grants
This grant program provides
$2,000 to support new or existing edible school gardens. Applications due by November 15, 2017.
FMI:
HERE
Measuring Up: Demonstrating the Impact of Farm to Institution through Metrics
This 6-part blog series from Farm to Institution New England provides snapshots of the farm to institution landscape in New England. The series draws from two years of work from the FINE metrics team. Each blog will delve into a few key indicators for farm to institution success.
FMI & Subscribe:
HERE
Farm to Early Care and Education
To make it easier for Head Start stakeholders to implement farm to early care and education, the National Farm to School Network has created Growing Head Start Success with Farm to Early Care and Education. This new, comprehensive resource aims to promote understanding among Head Start stakeholders of how farm to ECE supports achievement of Head Start Program Performance Standards and contributes to learning and development benchmarks as outlined in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. See Upcoming Events sidebar to register for a free webinar about this resource.
Gulf of Maine Explained
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute is hosting a series of short videos about commercial fishing, fisheries research, sustainable seafood, education, and more. You can learn a lot in these 2-3 minute videos. Find them
HERE.
Local Food for Little Eaters: A Purchasing toolbox for the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program
This toolbox from Michigan State University is designed to help early care providers purchase local food for their programs. It gives step-by-step instructions for purchasing from a variety of local food sources. Find it
HERE.
Clam Cam
Clams are an iconic species to the state of Maine. But do you know what it takes to get them from the mud to the market and finally to your plate? Check out these action videos from across the state. Find them
HERE.
SCrAP School Cafeteria Discards Assessment Project
Understanding how much food served in school cafeterias is thrown away can lead to more sustainable waste management strategies, reducing unnecessary food waste, reducing food costs, and developing better ways to manage institutional food waste. The School Cafeteria Discards Assessment Project (SCrAP) was developed to quantify both food and related wastes generated in school cafeterias to inform how to manage this waste. SCrAP is looking for schools interested in joining the fight against food waste. There are varying levels of participation and the opportunity to get resources for your school. Learn more
HERE.
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| Compost Awareness Poster Contest |
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The Composting Council Research and Education Foundation is seeking entries for their 16th Annual Poster Contest. The winning poster will be used to promote
International Compost Awareness Week, May 6-12, 2018.
Poster Theme: Compost! Building a Better Future
Entries Due: November 6, 2017
Prize: $500
Eligibility: 3rd grade - adult, divided among 3 divisions
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| Policy & Advocacy |
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Farm to School Act
 Last month the Farm to School Act of 2017 was introduced into Congress. This legislation seeks to expand funding for the very competitive and successful USDA Farm to School Grant Program including improving program participation from beginning, veteran, and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. It also fully includes early care and education, summer food service program, and after school program sites as well as increases access among tribal schools for farm-fresh and traditional foods, especially from tribal producers.
Learn more about the proposed legislation
HERE.
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| Nourished by New England |
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Health Care Without Harm launched Nourished by New England to make it easier for health care to support our regional food system and local producers. Over the next four seasons, Nourished by New England will feature locally grown, raised, and harvested foods and promote the program by featuring local farmers and food businesses through
Faces of New England. Participating health care facilities will receive promotional materials to support the program. Learn more about featured farms and participating sites
HERE.
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Maine Farm to School Network
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| ME Public Health Districts |
Farm to School programs work to build and tend school gardens, deliver agriculturally-based nutrition education, and develop local food procurement systems to increase agricultural awareness, improve health, and support the local economy.
The MFSN aims to build communication and coordination infrastructure closer to schools and communities which are the foundation of this very special local foods movement.
The MFSN is organized with a State Coordinator and District Representatives in each of the 8 Public Health Districts in Maine. The Network works to bring more locally sourced foods into schools coupled with experiential agriculture education.
Contact your MFSN Representative (see left) to learn more.
In 2015, the Maine Farm to School Network began exploring work
 with additional institutional sectors like health care, higher education, and correctional facilities. This resulted in the formation of Maine Farm to Institution, supported by the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation. To connect with MEFTI, see its members listed to the left.
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