Local Plates, National Impact: A Tour of School Food Innovation

Maine

Sea-to-School for Student Health, Vibrant Communities, & a Thriving Seafood Economy

Our first stop is the Gulf of Maine, one of the most productive marine environments in the North Atlantic, where fishing is a critical economic activity, and seafood is central to many cultural traditions. This makes it an ideal place to establish a robust sea-to-school program.  

Led by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), this project is a collaboration between GMRI, South Portland Public School District Food Service Department, and the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association. Together, these partners work to implement culturally relevant seafood recipes in school food, support local economies, and use the power of school food to catalyze local seafood procurement at large.

“Especially when you consider that 70-90% of the seafood we eat in this country is imported, by focusing on local production and procurement [in schools], we can really make a big impact,” said Sophie Scott, GMRI Sustainable Seafood Program Manager.

Massachusetts & Maine

Building an Equitable, Resilient Regional Supply Chain for K-12 Schools in New England 

Our next stop is a short distance down the Atlantic coast to a project that brings together two New England districts: Boston, MA, and Portland, ME. New England has a rich history of farm-to-school and institutional values-based procurement work. This grantee team continues to innovate to build greater supply chain resiliency and offer students exciting new scratch-made, locally sourced products. 

CommonWealth Kitchen, MA Farm to School, Boston Public Schools, and Portland Public Schools will take a holistic approach—connecting both local suppliers and manufacturers with schools and building procurement systems that can be replicated in districts across the region. In particular, the project seeks to procure more scratch-made, value-added, and culturally inclusive products for schools. For example, CommonWealth Kitchen’s field fritter is a product developed from field peas, an essential cover crop farmers use to build nitrogen-rich soil. It is an excellent example of a climate-friendly and delicious product that benefits producers and students alike. 

“Our project aims to work thoughtfully and deliberately with schools and producers to develop products that bring value across the food chain. This multi-year project will enable those types of partnerships, remove barriers for smaller producers, BIPOC-owned farms, and food companies to access institutional customers and provide students with more culturally connected meals,” said Simca Horwitz, MA Farm to School Co-Director.      

West Virginia

New Roots Community Farm Project

Transitioning from New England’s coastal networks to Appalachia’s mountainous terrain, we explore how West Virginia’s PLANTS project addresses rural challenges. Agriculture runs deep in the state, with progressive cottage food laws and the highest percentage of family-owned farms in the U.S., what better place to strengthen community food systems and continue to grow farm-to-school programs?

In rural West Virginia, New Roots Community Farm works with Fayette County Schools and West Virginia University’s Center for Resilient Communities to fortify local supply chain resilience, increase scratch cooking in schools, and grow the agricultural economy of New River Gorge and southern West Virginia. 

“We are really excited to be a part of this grant and to continue building relationships and momentum with our community partners, and we are especially excited to support Fayette County Schools Food Service Director Andy Pense, who is a real leader of the movement to get better food in schools. We are thrilled to give more resources to advance his vision,” said Susanna Wheeler, Farm Director at New Roots Community Farm.

Michigan (Detroit)

Detroit Farms Growing the Whole Child

From West Virginia’s rural resilience to Detroit’s urban agriculture movement, our next stop is the world-famous Motown, Detroit, MI. The city has emerged as a powerful food sovereignty model, with a vibrant and community-driven urban agriculture industry supporting local food production.

Detroit Public Schools Community District, along with Keep Growing Detroit, Eastern Market Partnership, and Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network, work to continue growing an already deeply rooted farm-to-school program. In 2023, Detroit Public Schools Community District brought in over 30,000 pounds of local, organic produce to serve its 50,000 students! The project aims to reduce barriers like scalability and food safety by providing more resources to community partners to reach even more students. Project partners will work with the district’s culinary arts and horticulture programs to provide students with real-world teaching opportunities and paid on-the-job learning. 

“Our PLANTS project has a huge commitment and dedication to whole child education and nourishment. We take a holistic approach to food systems change so that our students can thrive and become successful leaders of our city in the future,” said Matthew Hargis, Farm to School Supervisor for Detroit Public Schools Community District.

Michigan (Muskegon County)

Local GREENS (Growing Resilient Equitable Ecosystem for Nutrition in Schools) 

Continuing the Michigan story, Muskegon’s school food initiatives are demonstrating how rural communities can create robust local food ecosystems that support both student nutrition and regional economic development. 

Muskegon, MI, is an agriculturally diverse area with more than 6,000 farms. While most of what is produced in the area is exported, PLANTS project leaders have long dreamed about directing more local foods into schools by increasing scratch cooking, engaging local producers, and building a robust network of key stakeholders.

Muskegon Area Intermediate School District (MAISD), Montague Area Public Schools, Michigan State University’s Food Agriculture Research and Manufacturing Accelerator, and Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities are coming together to make that vision a reality. The project will focus on increasing local procurement, creating a new central commissary with job training, and increasing the number of scratch-made, student-created, and culturally relevant meals. Ultimately, the project intends to create a model for small districts nationwide to join forces and transform their local food systems.

“Momentum has been building for more than 15 years to develop strong and resilient food economies that will share the local agricultural bounty in the community, so we are ripe and ready for PLANTS,” said Elissa Penczar, Chef Instructor and Director of the Hospitality Food Management Program at the Career Tech Center Operated by MAISD.

Iowa

Iowa Farm-to-School Training Collaborative: Building Resilience and Capacity for the Future of Farm-to-School in Iowa

Leaving Michigan’s lakeside communities, we land in America’s heartland, where Iowa’s PLANTS project leverages the state’s agricultural prowess and integrates its bounty into creative, locally sourced school meals. 

That’s exactly what Iowa Valley Resource Conservation & Development, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Council Bluffs Community School District, Iowa St. University Extension & Outreach, and Farm Table Delivery will be working on. They will host a farm-to-school training cohort, increase local food availability through a processing pilot designed to develop new products for schools, and advance scratch cooking through workshops and conferences. The project will engage three food hubs, four school districts, and several producers across the state, including historically underserved food producers.

“We’re extremely happy to receive this funding and are all very excited to engage food producers and schools across the entire state to advance local sourcing initiatives and build upon existing relationships,” Said Sophie Churchill, Program Manager at Iowa Valley RD&C.

Washington

Increasing School Nutrition Quality in Central & Eastern Washington through Local Food Value Chain Coordination and Scratch-Cooking Assistance 

Moving from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, Washington’s PLANTS project highlights how rural communities in agricultural regions collaborate to create sustainable, scratch-cooked school food programs.

Here, you might find a two-room schoolhouse, a cattle run blocking the road, and some of the most productive lentil and apple producers in the country. You will also find NorthEast Washington Educational Service District 101 working with project partners LINC Foods, Mission West Community Development Partners, Valley School District, and CasaCano Farms to increase scratch cooking in schools, strengthen the local supply chain, and grow the availability of healthy, value-added products from food manufacturers in the local food supply chain.  

“We’re really looking forward to helping schools grow their farm-to-school programs by introducing easy-to-use and healthy value-added products from local suppliers. We want to reinvigorate local businesses in rural communities by having the opportunity to supply schools and grow their businesses,” said Abby Miller, Director of Nutrition Services at NorthEast Washington Educational Service District 101.

Alaska

Anchorage Student Nutrition Food System Transformation

Our journey culminates in Alaska, where extreme geographical challenges meet innovative food solutions, showing how remote communities can still develop robust, locally adapted school nutrition strategies that honor Indigenous food traditions.

With an acutely abbreviated growing season, nearly 95% of Anchorage’s food supply is barged in twice a week. Creating a unified local supply chain is critical for community resilience, making this project especially significant for the local food system. Anchorage School District serves about 30,000 meals daily to its 84 schools spread across 2,000 square miles. Teaming up with Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Alaska Food Company, and Copper River Seafood, they’re set to revolutionize local food procurement and production by expanding their scratch-cooking operations, upgrading cooking equipment, increasing local sourcing to 15%, educating students about the local food system, and hosting listening sessions with local historically underserved producers and fisherfolk.

“We’re looking forward to creating strong relationships with community partners, developing a pipeline from the grower to the consumer, improving our staff culinary skills, and increasing agricultural education. We see this grant as a critical step in aligning the cafeteria, the community, and the classroom,” said Marci McGill, Senior Director of Student Nutrition at Anchorage School District.