A note from Cassidy Hough, FoodCorps Service Member, from June 2025: “I had my last lesson EVER this morning. I started the class by announcing that it was the last lesson I’d ever have with them, and in the middle of my speaking someone yelled “GROUP HUG,” and I was immediately tackled by 12 third graders. It was very sweet. We did a cooking challenge—something I usually do only with 4th grade and up—but they were ready for it. Each team made a quesadilla and then came up with a presentation along with it that they would perform in front of the “judges,” while we tried their quesadilla. To my surprise, three out of the four presentations involved gymnastics—it was too cute.”

Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities has been engaged in the farm to school movement for over 20 years and became a founding service site for FoodCorps in 2011 in Traverse City. The program has since expanded to the greater Petoskey region, and was a service site until June 2025.. Nearly fourteen years of direct garden and nutrition education will have lasting impacts on our students and communities for years to come. We worked in over 13 districts, helped create and support so many gardens we’ve lost count, and sadly, we are at the end of our FoodCorps era. Boyne Falls, then Pellston, then East Jordan, followed by Alanson. Over the last eight years, resources were also shared with Boyne City, Charlevoix, Ellsworth, Petoskey, Harbor Springs, and Central Lake.

We want to celebrate the work thus far, and thank Cassidy Hough and Noah Doederlein for their service the last two years. These two helped solidify eight years of nutrition and garden education in five CharEm schools by working directly with food educators, and in many other schools within the ISD to help them achieve their goals of addressing the needs of the whole child, and making sure nutrition and food was central to that effort.

In May we got word. “FoodCorps has made the difficult decision to end the current program year early, on June 6, and has reduced our staff by 40%. These decisions were driven by financial challenges related to our funding through AmeriCorps and other federal agencies. … we will reduce our partnerships from 65 site partners across 19 states to 16 site partners across 8 states.” -Sarah Hausman

FoodCorps’ geographic footprint will be much smaller, and they will no longer be serving Michigan through direct education, however, they will continue to work closely with food systems leaders and advocate for child nutrition and wellness. 

While we are disappointed to lose this resource, we are so grateful for the 14 years of partnership with an organization that provided on-the-ground support and allowed us to host some of the most incredibly dedicated individuals, serving students directly in schools. Thanks to Diane Conners for making the connection to FoodCorps right when it was created and working with MSU Center for Regional Food Systems to become a state partner.

While the 24-25 term was cut short (normally it would have run through July 31), and FoodCorps service members won’t be in our classrooms in 25-26 year, we are proud of all that has been achieved, and know that our Farm to Institution Specialist, Cori Fitzpatrick, will continue to build community around ongoing farm to school efforts in the ISD.

Groundwork’s partnership with FoodCorps allowed us to help districts create lasting systems around their schoolwide cultures of health. Our partnership ignited a farm to school movement in northwest Lower Michigan that now boasts a two-person farm to school team at Northwest Education Services in Traverse City and five farm to school coordinators at five school districts within the CharEm Intermediate School District, and a legacy of school greenhouses around the region. Districts are creating new courses and curriculum to provide garden and nutrition education opportunities in and outside of school. 

Here’s a sampler of what the FoodCorps/Groundwork teams have put in motion over the years:

• Try it Tuesdays at Petoskey since 2016 – now volunteer run under Beth Kavanaugh’s supervision
• Taste Tests in 5+ schools on a monthly basis
• Field trips to local farms
• Cooking clubs [after school]
• Cooking classes [in middle and high schools]
• Garden and nutrition ed classes
• Garden clubs
• Wellness classes
• Wellness committees creating districtwide policy change (SNAC at EJPS)
• Incorporating scratch made meal items into school food menus
• Family Cooking nights and other family engagement events
• Pop-up farm markets (schools + farms + families= strengthening relationships)
• Connecting local farms to schools—procurement (10 Cents a Meal in the school aid budget since 2016)
• Building Resiliient Communiities infrastructure support
• Partnerships with local organizations: Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Northmen Dens Youth Pantries
• Chef demonstrations in cafeterias
• Schools producing their own food for the cafeteria line (chicken, pasta sauce, veggies, greens—(grow towers, gardens, hoop houses/greenhouses)
• Waste reduction/composting initiatives
• The Alanson Kid Podcast with Cassidy Hough and students
• CharEm Farm to School Coordinator Cohort meets quarterly to share resources across school districts

So, yes, FoodCorps is no longer with us, but transformative farm to school work continues. We look forward to this school year’s farm to school happenings: pop-up farm markets, Try-it Tuesdays, Apple Crunch festivities, hands-on garden and cooking lessons, and ongoing infrastructure projects supporting gardens, school kitchens, and nutrition and garden education. Ask your local school district how you can get involved or contact Cori Fitzpatrick at cori.fitzpatrick@groundworkcenter.org.

Jen Schaap is Groundwork’s Food & Farming Program Director. jen.schaap@groundworkcenter.org