The 10 Cents a Meal program means more business for Michigan farmers as well as healthier food for school children.

The 10 Cents a Meal program means more business for Michigan farmers as well as healthier food for school children.
Governor Snyder approved the expanded budget for 10 Cents a Meal, expanding the program to two new Prosperity Regions and increasing the budget to $575,000.
Last year at this time, the future for Michigan’s 10 Cents a Meal for School Kids & Farms program was iffy. This year, thankfully, legislators aren’t debating whether or not to continue the popular program, but instead how to expand it.
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) released its 2017-2018 Legislative Report on the 10 Cents a Meal for School Kids & Farms pilot program on Tuesday, March 20.
If you haven’t shared your thoughts with state legislators about 10 Cents a Meal for School Kids & Farms-which provides an extra 10 cents a meal in incentive matching funds for schools to purchase locally grown fruits, vegetables, and dry beans-now is the time.
Fourteen school districts in northwest Lower Michigan are among 32 statewide that have extra funding this school year to purchase locally grown fruits, vegetables and dry beans. That’s thanks to a second year of the state’s 10 Cents a Meal for School Kids & Farms pilot grant program. Together the districts serve 22,567 students in our region.