3 Days of Networking, Action Planning, & Local Foods!
Statewide local foods program launch with 3 rural public school districts!
Maine Farm & Sea to School Network at Healthy Communities of the Capital Area kicked off the 1st annual Maine Farm & Sea to School Institute last month, where three school district teams from across the state convened August 16-18th at The Ecology School at Riverbend Farm in Saco, ME (RSU 22 Hampden-Winterport, RSU 89 Katahdin Schools, and MSAD 17 Oxford Hills). This workshop program introduced school teams to Maine’s incredible local food system landscape and is the culmination of years of efforts to make the program a reality.
Over the course of three days, the school teams learned about Maine’s resources and designed a values-based school food system plan with their colleagues and an assigned coach. The plan addresses incorporating local food into the school meal program, hands-on learning in school gardens and classrooms, and involving the local community. The program launch included a diversity of workshops such as culinary activities with Healthy School Recipes, curriculum integration with Maine Agriculture in the Classroom, equity and inclusion integration with Racial Equity and Justice, garden/orchard planning with ReTreeUs, and more.
“MFSN at HCCA has been working for 5 years to bring the Northeast Farm to School Institute model to Maine. It is through the tireless effort of network partners that this program is launching,” - Stephanie Cesario, MFSN Coordinator at Healthy Communities of the Capital Area.
Participants learned about local procurement with Maine Department of Education Child Nutrition and school food security with Cumberland County Food Security Council and Full Plates Full Potential. UMaine School of Food and Agriculture and UMaine Cooperative Extension supported middle school participation with college mentors trained via the 4H STEM ambassadors program.
“Teams were given ample time to meet, reflect, and plan. Often a conference can be inspiring, but once participants get back to their daily routines, it can be hard to keep the momentum going. The Maine Farm & Sea to School Institute provided inspiration, concrete tools, and time to build and maintain the teams’ goals moving forward.” – Institute participant
While enjoying fresh local food from Riverbend Farm, participants also toured nearby Harris Farm and enjoyed a special visit from Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Commissioner Amanda Beal and several members of the Maine State Legislature.
By the end of this program launch, participant school team members noted the highlights of this program:
“The dedicated intentional time to spend together as a school team to strategize on things we’ve been talking about separately for years.”
“Learning more about resources in our state that support learning about food and agriculture and support student nutrition”
“Collaborating and networking with teachers, farmers, students, and everyone else farm to school!”
Maine Farm & Sea to School Network leaders in partnership with University of Maine will be supporting these districts throughout the 2022-2023 school year with site visits, technical assistance, and resources. Institute organizers intend to open applications for the 2023-2024 Institute in February 2023 and are actively fundraising to support the next cohort of school districts.
FMI: Maine Farm and Sea to School Network Coordinator s.cesario@hccame.org and visit www.mainefarmtoschool.org/institute
This work is supported by the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program grant 2021-70026-35911 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Read the Press:
New Farm-to-School Food Program Debuts in Maine Schools - Modern Farmer
Watch the News Coverage:
Districts work to develop farm-to-table programs in schools across Maine | newscentermaine.com
New organization launched to bring more local food to Maine schools | WGME