Food & Farming
10 Cents a Meal for Michigan's Kids & Farms
Your involvement empowers us to push ahead with 10 Cents a Meal, which improves child well-being and farm family income through an innovative Farm to School program that also serves early childhood education centers.
10 CENTS A MEAL FOR MICHIGAN'S KIDS & FARMS
Frequently Asked Questions
How does 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan's Kids and Farms work?
10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids & Farms is as simple as it sounds. It provides up to 10 cents per meal in matching grants to school districts to increase the Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and legumes that end up on children’s school lunch trays. The program doubles the state’s investment because schools match the grant with existing school food dollars, usually federal.
Can 10 cents from the state plus 10 cents from the school really buy enough local food to make a difference in a child’s health?
On average, school districts have only $1.20 to spend on school lunches, so 20 cents (10 cents from the state and 10 cents from the school) directed to local produce is a meaningful investment, and the extra dime gives schools the flexibility to try new things. Also, by focusing on locally grown food, the school can increase the nutrient quality of meals and the interest among children in eating healthy fruits and vegetables. Science suggests that nutrient-dense foods improve learning outcomes, increasing the odds that children will have brighter futures.
What do farmers say about how 10 Cents a Meal helps them?
By steering school lunch dollars to local farmers, the program adds an important element of financial stability to farm cash flow. Schools, in fact, are typically the biggest “restaurants” in any community, and the COVID crisis has shown they feed our children even when school buildings are closed. With 10 Cents a Meal now funded for the entire state and including early childhood education centers, the program gives a budget boost to hundreds of Michigan’s small and mid-sized farmers. It also strengthens Michigan’s food supply.
What is the current status of 10 Cents a Meal?
For fiscal year 2025-26, the legislature and governor chose to fund school lunches a different way, and did not fund 10 Cents a Meal. The new forumula removes the emphasis on locally grown food, which is likely to reduce the nutrient quality of school food and also reduce the income of family farms in Michigan. Groundwork and our partners are working hard to return funding for 10 Cents a Meal! You can help too. See our eomprehensive avocacy toolkit.
Take action!
For more information about 10 Cents a Meal, please contact Farm to Early Care and Education Specialist Melanie Wong, at melanie.wong@groundworkcenter.org.
Also be sure to check out our advocacy toolkit, which has terrific assets—letters, legislator addresses, social media posts, and more—and advice for how to best use the various pieces.
Reach out to people and organizations like your school board, parent organizations, food service directors, legislators, health and wellness advocates, farmers and farm groups. Share Our Website, Success Stories, and the fact sheets, reports, and more below, and be sure to explore the 10 Cents Michigan website.
GET INVOLVED!
Resources
Visit the 10 Cents a Meal website
LEARN MORE
BACKGROUND
learn more about 10 cents at our website
Voices of Food Service Directors statewide
Recent article on restored funding
read the sign-on letter
“Groundwork's skills in dealing with legislation, promotion, marketing, social media and building grass root support for the effort was a missing piece that no other stakeholders at the table possessed. The 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan's Kids & Farms program would not have been possible without Groundwork’s talent and expertise.”
— Dan Gorman, Food Service Director for Montague Area Public Schools and Whitehall District Schools
WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?
10 Cents a Meal News
Educate Your Candidates About 10 Cents a Meal Now!
The best time to educate legislators and legislators-to-be about an issue is during the campaign period. So let’s join to make sure they know the value of 10 Cents a Meal! We make it easy with resources and emails!
Let’s Fund 10 Cents a Meal to Keep Kids Fed and Farms in Business Thru the Pandemic
Schools have become food pantries for children, and meanwhile farmers in some regions are plowing under crops due to closed restaurants and schools. Funding 10 Cents a Meal will pay farmers and feed kids.
10 Cents a Meal vetoed. Can it be restored?
We owe our children the best health and learning future possible, and school lunches loaded with fat, carbohydrates and sugar won’t help. Let your legislator know you want to see funding passed for 10 Cents a Meal to get nutrient-rich, healthy local food into school lunches!