The Longest Summer: Childhood Hunger in the Wake of Coronavirus
Organization: No Kid Hungry
Published: 2020
Summer is a hard time for families struggling to feed their kids, with schools closed and school meals gone. In 2020 with schools closed in the wake of COVID-19, many children were left without reliable daily meals for months on end. This report gives new insight into the pandemic's impact on children - how they're coping and what new sacrifices their families are forced to make. The story is a bleak one - even more so for Black and Latino children.
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Maine Campus Students Shine a Spotlight on Food Service Staff
Author: Sarah Maness
Organization: FINE
Published: 2017
Find out how College of the Atlantic in Maine is educating students about food systems through unique courses and "FoodPrint" art installations in the dining halls. See this blog for information about how to create a Foodprint Gallery on Your Campus.
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Maine Farm and Seafood Products Directory
Organization: University of Maine Extension
Published: 2020
Map and list of Maine farm and seafood products to sell, including available local food and alternative pick-up options, updated during COVID-19.
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Maine Farm to Institution (MEFTI) Website
Organization: Maine Farm to Institution
Published: 2020
MEFTI catalyzes a social impact network focused on farm to institution in Maine to help build a healthy and sustainable regional food system. Their website holds resources, funding opportunities, networking events, and more.
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Maine Farmers Selling to Schools - Videos
Organization: Maine Department of Education, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Published: 2020
The Maine Farm video series is a collaboration between the Maine Department of Education and Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to showcase the growing partnerships between farms and schools. These videos showcase how more Maine farms and producers can establish relationships and sell their products to Maine schools.
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Maine State Profile
Organization: FINE
The Maine state profile is part of series of snapshots highlighting farm to institution activity in each of the six New England states. This profile highlights key data from ME K-12 schools, colleges, hospitals, producers, and distributors.
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Mainstreaming Local Food to Institutions: Tips for Farmers, Distributors & Food Service
Author: Shannon Grimes
Organization: Maine Farmland Trust
Published: 2014
This article summarizes tips for farmers, distributors and food service based on the mainstreaming model. Examples explore the connection of farms to college and healthcare facilities in Maine via large broadline distributors.
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Making Local, Healthy, Sustainable Delicious: The How-to Guide for Foodservice Operators
Author: Ken Toong, Garett DiStefano
Organization: UMass Auxiliary Enterprises, UMass Dining Services, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Published: 2016
This guide, made possible with a grant from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, offers a step-by-step approach to the
planning and development of local, healthy food-system initiatives by large-scale
foodservice operators. It is based on the successful experience of the Dining Program
of the University of Massachusetts Amherst over the past 15 years or so. The Guide
provides tips and hints to help you set up your own local healthy food system initiative,
boost local sourcing of food, and re-engineer your menu cycle in favor of healthy,
sustainable, delicious meals. Throughout the Guide, you will find case study examples
from UMass Dining.
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Map of Farms and Food Producers in the Champlain Valley
Organization: ACORN
Published: 2020
Online Map to Connect Vermont's Champlain Valley customers with farmers directly. In an effort to connect farms with folks looking for local food during the COVID-19 pandemic, ACORN has created an interactive online map that lists nearly 250 farmers and food producers in the Champlain Valley who sell food locally. There is also a map for non-food products and services such as seedlings, compost, hay and more.
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Market Channel Procurement Strategy and School Meal Costs in Farm-to-School Programs
Author: Jill Fitzsimmons, Jeffrey K. O’Hara
Published: 2019
Farm-to-school (F2S) local food procurement must be cost-effective to be financially sustainable without policy support. We test, among schools participating in F2S programs, whether market channel procurement strategies for local foods affect schools’ perceptions of whether meal costs decline as a result of F2S participation. Schools that buy local foods exclusively from intermediaries are 7 percentage points less likely to report lower costs from undertaking F2S initiatives. We further demonstrate that the probability that schools source local foods exclusively from intermediaries is influenced by the number of direct marketing farmers in their county
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Massachusetts' Local Food System: Perspectives on Resilience and Recovery
Organization: Massachusetts Food System Collaborative
Published: 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many challenges within the food supply chain, and has illuminated the importance of a strong local food system to meet the needs of food producers and consumers not just during crises, but at all times. As the Commonwealth works to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure that we are prepared for future crises, support for a resilient local food system is critical. The Massachusetts Food System Collaborative has published “Massachusetts’ Local Food System: Perspectives on Resilience and Recovery,” presenting a set of challenges, opportunities, and recommendations toward an equitable, sustainable, and resilient local food system for the Commonwealth.
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Massachusetts State Profile
Organization: FINE
The Massachusetts state profile is part of series of snapshots highlighting farm to institution activity in each of the six New England states. This profile highlights key data from MA K-12 schools, colleges, hospitals, producers, and distributors.
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MassGrown Map
Organization: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
Published: 2020
Map of Massachusetts farms, farmers markets, and activities, updated during COVID-19.
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Meal Service Options for School Year 2020-2021
Organization: No Kid Hungry
Published: 2020
This resource reflects nationwide waivers and guidance available as of 8/21/2020. This document will continue to be updated as new guidance comes out.
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Measuring Racial Equity in the Food System: Established and Suggested Metrics
Author: Sarah Rodman-Alvarez, Kathryn Colasanti
Organization: Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems
Published: 2019
This report identifies metrics related to racial equity in the food system that are either in use by organizations currently or have been recommended, whether in a publication or through an interview. By documenting the current landscape in this area, this report provides a foundation for the Michigan Good Food Charter Shared Measurement Advisory Committee to consider and select a set of metrics that can be used at state (Michigan) and local levels to track progress towards an equitable food system.1 The metrics in this report can also provide a foundation for other interested organizations to track progress.
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Measuring Up Blog Series
Organization: FINE
Published: 2017
Measuring Up is a six-part blog series from Farm to Institution New England. It provides a snapshot of the farm to institution landscape in New England. There are 4,628 K-12 schools, 210 Campuss and universities with dining services, and 256 hospitals in New England – in total, these institutions feed an estimated 3.8 million people per day. This series draws from two years of work by the FINE metrics team, presenting key indicators for farm to institution success. Each blog post delves into a few key indicators and gives you links for diving deeper. Thank you for joining us for Measuring Up, and stay tuned for more metrics news in 2018!
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Menuing for a Regional Food System: How to Adapt Your Campus Dining Menus to Use More Local Food
Organization: FINE
Published: 2018
This one-hour webinar addresses challenges in campus dining around adapting campus menus to incorporate more local food. Speakers include Mike Webster, Hotchkiss School; Mary Reilly, Westfield State University; and David Gould, Rhode Island School of Design.
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Mitigating Immediate Harmful Impacts of COVID-19 on Farms and Ranches Selling through Local and Regional Food Markets
Organization: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Published: 2020
This economic impact assessment was compiled on March 18, 2020 for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Across key local and regional markets (i.e., farmers markets, farm to school, food hubs serving other institutions, and restaurants) we expect to see up to a $688.7 million decline in sales leading to a payroll decline of up to $103.3 million, and a total loss to the economy of up to $1.32 billion from March to May 2020. Without immediate mitigation, we may lose many small, socially disadvantaged, and beginning farms and the important markets they serve.
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Mountain View Correctional Facility providing food for themselves and community
Author: Brianna Bires
Organization: Maine Department of Corrections
Published: 2019
Farms to Institution is an initiative to reduce wasted food and increase access to fresh, local foods in correctional facilities across the state. This article and short video describes how Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston, Maine is saving money and growing their own food.
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National Farm to Institution Metrics Collaborative
Organization: National Farm to Institution Metrics Collaborative
Published: 2020
The National Farm to Institution Metrics Collaborative is a group dedicated to developing best practices for measuring the impact of the institutional market across the supply chain. This nation-wide, multi-sector collaborative seeks to develop a common set of food procurement metrics, benchmarks, and best practices for institutional dining that promote the health and resilience of their community's economic, ecological, and social systems.
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