School Food & Nutrition

Anneliese Tanner, Boston Public Schools

Anneliese serves as the Director of Food and Nutrition Services for the Boston Public Schools. Since she assumed this position in 2023 the district, which serves 45,000 students across 125 schools has made significant strides in increasing local and values based food purchasing. In just one year she helped the district make major advancements in implementing the Good Food Purchasing program and is on track to reach the district’s eventual goal of 30% local food. Initiatives to include more culturally affirming school meals are ensuring that the food service department creates an inclusive school food environment for all students.

Heidi Rivera, Boston Public School

School food change is not possible without the dedication and skill of individuals in kitchens preparing good food for kids each day. Heidi, the Cafeteria Manager at Boston’s Henderson Inclusion Upper School is one of these champions, bringing Boston’s farm to school vision to life. One colleague notes that she “is an amazing asset to our inclusion school community and every day provides a welcoming environment in our school cafeteria.” This positive school cafeteria culture encourages students to try the new healthy, local foods being served and thrive throughout the school day.

Education

Kerrita Mayfield 

Kerrita Mayfield, Secondary Science Teacher for Amherst Regional Public Schools, ignites her classroom with her passion for storytelling, art, play and social justice. Kerrita is a climate activist and worked to create an interdisciplinary Climate Change Carnival, a biannual event, where grade 7 and 8 students present the problems of Global Climate Disruption, create and demonstrate possible solutions to the crisis of Global Climate Change, participate in hands-on workshops, and hear from a local and national keynote. According to a colleague, “Kerrita is committed to creating spaces in which one –you, I, we– can show up in our fullness, our authentic selves and bring forth our abundance of gifts and ways of being. Kerrita leans into the wisdom that exists within and amongst us to bring forth the collective agency and resilience that is needed.”

Advocate

State Representative Paul Schmid (Ret.)

Representative Paul Schmid has been a tireless advocate for farm to school and other food systems priorities in the MA legislature since his first term in 2011. A representative of the 8th Bristol district, he serves residents in Fall River, Freetown, New Bedford, and Westport. He served on the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture and then was the first Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Agriculture. 

As an organic beef farmer, he understands firsthand the challenges and opportunities faced by farmers in Massachusetts. He has brought this farmer focused approach to find creative policy solutions to address complex challenges in our food system. He has been a champion of public funding for farm to school, securing farm to school funding in the Mass. Department of Agriculture budget as well as responding to emerging opportunities such as the Local Food for Schools program. While his time in the legislature has come to a close, he inspired many colleagues to become farm to school champions and continue fighting for a stronger food system.