This year, Mass. Farm to School is working in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to facilitate the Northeast Food for Schools (NFS) Program, and will be sharing stories from program participants, on both the school and vendor sides, showing the impact this funding has had on communities across Massachusetts.  Walden […]

The MetroWest YMCA Early Learning Center provides care and early education services for around 140 toddler to preschool-aged children in the Framingham community. In speaking with Maggie Lynch RDN, LDN, the Director of Nutrition Services at the center, we learned more about the efforts at the MetroWest Y to educate children and their families about […]

MFTS Communications Assistant Brittany Chloe Tope-Ojo sat down with Catherine Champiney, Program Dietitian, and MaryAnn Rollings, Health Coordinator at Worcester Head Start, to learn about the Farm to School initiatives taking place at their centers. Worcester Head Start serves about 390 children and their families, ranging in age from 2.9-5 years old at four different […]

From Gymnastics Centers, Day Camps, Nature Science Centers, and Centers for the Arts, the South Shore YMCA provides programming for physical, mental, and artistic development. Our Communications Assistant, Brittany Chloe Tope-Ojo, spoke with representatives from the Early Learning Center (ELC) & Family Farm in Hanover, and the Nature Center Preschool at the Natural Science Center […]

While school was out in July and August, communities across the Commonwealth ensured that children still had access to healthy foods by operating summer meal programs. The programs are run by school districts as well as numerous community based organizations. While the programs may run for just a few months, many have developed strong relationships […]

Interview with Shon Rainford, Senior Project Manager & Susannah Hinman, Sales Manager. Interview conducted by Dena Stearns, MFTS Communications Director & Shannon Mulkern, MFTS Intern.  The Worcester Regional Food Hub was created out of a desire to establish a simplified path to purchasing local food for institutional buyers and to assist farmers in distributing their […]

  Sidehill Farm Interview with Amy Klippenstein, Co-Owner By Shannon Mulkern, Spring 2018 Mass. Farm to School Intern Amy Klippenstein and Paul Lacinski weren’t always dairy farmers. As self-described lovers of “really good food,” they kept themselves busy for many years with a construction company and prolific vegetable garden. It all changed in 2006 when they […]

Heather Baril is the food service director at the North Attleboro School District. We learned all about the new program she developed to help teachers integrate Harvest of the Month into the classroom.  Procurement The North Attleboro school district uses a variety of distributors for produce, including Nasiff, Costa, and Farm Fresh Rhode Island. Heather […]

  Maria Hall is the food service director at the Walpole School District. We caught up with her to talk about how she incorporates Harvest of the Month in their food program. Procurement The Walpole School District mainly source their local food from  Tangerini’s Farm and Hornstra Farm, as well as Costa Fruit & Produce.They […]

We spoke with Amanda Muniz, Food Service Director at the Chelsea Public Schools, a district with 6300 students and 7 dining areas, about how she’s putting local food on the menu in her cafeterias and promoting her excellent work around the district.  Procurement Chelsea Public Schools’ Food Service Director, Amanda Muniz uses a Farmlogix program to get […]

Lessons from the Gill-Montague Regional School District Mistelle Hannah is the Food Service Director of the Gill-Montague School District. Since she became the food service director, she has re-implemented and is developing the Harvest of the Month Program. We interviewed her earlier this year to speak about her experiences.   Procurement The Gill-Montague School District […]

Lessons from the Salem Public School District Salem Public Schools have participated in our Harvest of the Month program since its inception five years ago. This summer, we interviewed Deborah Jeffers and Patrice Toomey–the district’s Food Service Director and Program Manager, respectively– on their high school’s innovative dining services and how they incorporate Harvest of […]