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.
10 Cents a Meal Report Now Released
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.
Now’s the time to weigh in on 10 Cents
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.
Agriculture Forum: 10 Cents a Meal Grantees Expand
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.
Changing School Food Choices Through Policy Reform
Healthy Kids, Healthy Michigan (HKHM), a coalition of public and private sector health advocates united to fight childhood obesity, has emerged as an important advocate for the 10 Cents a Meal program. HKHM’s Healthy Food Access Team provides important policy support to inform legislators about how 10 Cents is strengthening Michigan, bolstering both students’ health and farmers’ bottom lines.
Groundwork Action Alert: Expand Local Food In Schools
This week our friends at the Michigan Department of Education did a momentous thing: They’ve asked 166 school districts to apply for funds to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables for our kids’ tummies-and for their brains and their health.