Tell your legislators to vote in support of H.565/S.311, An Act Establishing the Massachusetts Farm to School Program. This bill, managed by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, would provide eligible low-income public schools and early education institutions with funding to procure local foods, build and update kitchens to prepare and serve culturally appropriate, nutritious meals, educate students on nutrition, and provide experiential garden-based learning opportunities.

As detailed in the 2022 MA Food System Collaborative Report, "Food Literacy in Massachusetts," a significant disparity exists in the educational opportunities provided to our students. The report's findings underscore several critical challenges:

· Lack of Funds for Local Food: Schools struggle to buy local, healthy foods due to insufficient dedicated funding.

· Inadequate School Infrastructure: Many schools lack basic facilities, such as kitchens, gardens, and storage, to support food education and local food initiatives.

· Limited Teacher Support: Educators need more time, technical assistance, and standardized curricula to teach effectively about food systems.

· Increased Number of Students Experiencing Food Insecurity: Our students face alarmingly high rates of food and nutrition insecurity.

· Skills Gap & Disconnection: Students often lack basic gardening and cooking skills, leading to a significant disconnect between the origin and consumption of food.

Lisa Ottaviano, a counselor at Wareham Elementary School, participating in the Marion Institute’s Grow Education program shared, "We are fortunate to be in a brand new building that was built with raised garden beds. Most schools are not that fortunate, as creating gardens is expensive and time-consuming. To date, we have started vegetable plants from seed and harvested the vegetables, planted a mini-orchard, created a compost bin from used pallets, grown microgreens that our cafeteria staff sautéed and served at lunch, and converted a patch of lawn next to the garden into a pollinator garden. These amazing experiences should not be limited to the small percentage of schools that can afford to gather the necessary resources." For our students to be healthy, it “begins with having unadulterated, unprocessed, nutrient-dense slow food replace fast food. Please support the Farm to School Grant Program to help make our children healthy again."

Contact your State Representative and Senator to urge them to support (H.565/S.311) An Act Establishing the Massachusetts Farm to School Program!

To call or email your state legislators, fill out the short form on the right.

Thank you!

The Marion Institute's Southcoast Food Policy Council Team