BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will be granting out $3.5 million in new funding to improve child nutrition and build new relationships between schools and local farmers. This funding opportunity, Northeast Foods For Schools, is now available to all schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. Funds can be used to purchase unprocessed and minimally processed foods grown within 400 miles.
- Farmers who are interested in selling to schools should reach out to Simca Horwitz, [email protected], who is with Massachusetts Farm to School.
- A key goal of the program is to connect schools and Socially Disadvantaged farmers and small businesses. To that end, MDAR is supporting this effort by establishing a database of Socially Disadvantaged farmers to ensure that self-identified farmers are kept informed of the process. Please complete this form to self-identify as a Socially Disadvantaged farmer or producer. If you have any questions about how your information will be used, please contact [email protected].
–MA Department of Agricultural Resources
