How do you change a food system? It’s a big challenge with a lot of energy behind it in Michigan as more people and organizations are supporting the local economy and community health. But small things can have a big impact, like creating a platform for growers and suppliers to meet institutional food buyers who are feeding a large slice of the population-our schools’ students.
What do you get when you mix farm to institution, speed dating and a trade show? The answer is Cultivate Michigan Marketplace events.
As a FoodCorps service member at Boyne Falls Public Schools, I know about a dozen fifth graders that were thrilled to hear about parsnips, the name of which is uncommon to most elementary students. Parsnips have been on the menu as January’s “Harvest of the Month” product.
Grand Traverse Internal and Family Medicine (Grand Traverse Internists), a clinic in Traverse City’s medical district, plans to hire a part-time Registered Dietitian -in part because its doctors were inspired after attending a Culinary Medicine conference last September. The conference also kicked into high gear Chip Hoagland’s plans for a culinary campus at the former Long Lake Elementary School.
FoodCorps, a national organization that connects children in limited resource communities to healthy food in school, is accepting applications until March 15 for its seventh annual class of AmeriCorps service members.
Manna Food Project (Manna) held its sixth regional Crock-Pot cooking class at the Moms & Tots Center in Ellsworth on Thursday, Dec. 14. Twenty-five food pantry clients living in the area learned about planning healthy meals, the importance of eating more fresh vegetables, and supporting local growers.