Upcoming Events
|
|
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
|
| 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 |
|
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
|
Links to Useful Resources
|
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
|
| Join Our List |
 |
|
|
The long awaited USDA Farm to School Grant Request for Applications has been released. See information and links below to learn more.
Renee Page,
Maine Farm to School Network Coordinator
Maine Farm to Institution Coordinator
National Farm to School Network Core Partner
Contact Information:
|
FY18 USDA Farm to School Grant RFA
|
|
|
Applications Due December 8, 2017
 |
|
October is here and it is time to celebrate everything we love and know about Farm to School! From taste tests to farm visits, to buying local foods and training farmers and producers, farm to school supports our local communities.
The purpose of the USDA Farm to School Grant Program is to assist eligible entities in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. On an annual basis, USDA awards up to $5 million in competitive grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs. The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 tasked USDA with supporting farm to school efforts through grants, training, technical assistance, and research. For FY 2018, the following grants are available:
- Implementation grants are intended to help schools, school districts, state and local agencies, Indian tribal organizations, small- and medium-sized agricultural producers or groups of small- and medium-sized agricultural producers, and non-profit entities working with schools or school districts to scale or further develop existing farm to school initiatives. Implementation awards range from $50,000 - $100,000.
- Planning grants are for schools or school districts, state and local agencies, Indian tribal organizations, small- and medium-sized agricultural producers or groups of small- and medium-sized agricultural producers, and non-profit entities working with schools or school districts that are just getting started on farm to school activities. These funds are intended to help these entities organize and structure their efforts for maximum impact by embedding known best practices into early design considerations. Planning awards range from $20,000 - $50,000.
- Training grants are intended for state and local agencies, Indian tribal organizations, small- and medium-sized agricultural producers or groups of small- and medium-sized agricultural producers, and non-profit entities to support trainings that strengthen farm to school supply chains, or trainings that provide technical assistance in the area of local procurement, food safety, culinary education, and/or integration of agriculture-based curriculum. Training awards range from $20,000 - $50,000.
Interested in applying? Complete applications must be submitted on grants.gov by 11:59pm ET on December 8, 2017. Check out resources for applicants and see a list of awardees since the release of the first RFA in 2013!
|
Maine Farm to School Network
|
|
 |
| 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.
|
|
| Like Maine Farm to School Network on Facebook |
|
|
|
|
|
