MCS receives grant to incorporate more locally sourced food into school lunches

submitted by Melanie Tran, Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities

Manchester Community Schools is one of 251 grantees that have been awarded 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids and Farms funding for the 2024–2025 program year. They were awarded $2,813. The state-funded program provides schools (and other organizations participating in USDA Child Nutrition programs) with grant funds to pay for Michigan-grown food item costs, local food transportation fees, and food service labor expenses to strengthen the local food supply chain and enrich nutrition and educational experiences for children in Michigan.

This year’s grantees span 64 counties across Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas, with an anticipated reach of approximately 600,000 children. The $4.5 million in funding for the 10 Cents a Meal program is among a number of investments included in Michigan’s FY 2025 budget that support feeding children in schools and Michigan’s agriculture industry. 10 Cents a Meal compliments the Michigan School Meals program that provides free breakfast and lunch to all K–12 students in public schools, by providing financial support for food program operators to purchase high-quality, Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and dry beans that are used in meals and snacks served as part of USDA Child Nutrition Programs.

New for the 2024–2025 program year is a provision that allows up to 25% of the grant award to be spent on food transportation and labor costs associated with implementing the program. This provision aims to support program operators and their staff through financial means as they navigate challenges associated with sourcing and serving more local food as a part of their food-service operation. Examples of allowable uses of these funds include labor costs related to food preparation and record keeping and transportation costs related to the delivery of food from suppliers or mileage costs for staff to transport food.

The program is administered in collaboration between the Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, and MSU Center for Regional Food Systems. For more information visit https://www.tencentsmichigan.org/ 

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.