2 area schools receive MDE meal grants
Ithaca and Harrison districts qualify for incentive funding program
Two mid-michigan school districts have qualified to receive funding to reduce food service costs.
Ithaca Public Schools and Harrison Community Schools are among 138 districts statewide to be awarded 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids & Farmers grants through the Michigan Department of Education.
The program, which launched as a pilot program in 2016, provides schools with matching incentive funding up to 10 cents per meal to purchase and serve Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables and legumes.
“Providing healthy meals for children and supporting our state’s growers is a winwin for Michigan,” state Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice stated in a press release. “The 10 Cents a Meal program helps meet a top 10 state strategic education goal of improving the health safety and wellness of learners.”
The state’s 2021 fiscal year budget increased funding for the program from $575,000 to $2 million, and expanded it to be offered statewide including early childhood centers for the first time.
The grantees, which come from 44 of Michigan’s 83 counties, serve more than 406,000 children in both the lower and upper peninsulas.
“We’ve seen the success of the program,” said state Sen. Wayne Schmidt, who chairs the Senate K-12 and Department of Education appropriations subcommittee. “We know the importance of nutrition for school-age children, and we know the importance of Michigan agriculture. When you can blend the two together it equals success. We want to continue that.
“The COVID crisis has highlighted health care needs. Obviously, one of the best ways to deal with any health challenge is good nutrition. It’s fresh fruits and
vegetables, and Michigan has a lot of them.”
The pandemic has created “greater food insecurity” throughout the state and school food service programs are playing an essential role in delivering healthy, nutritious meals to children.
The 10 Cents a Meal program increases local purchasing power, while also providing a market for small to medium scale growers in Michigan.
The MDE divides the state into 10 regions. Ithaca and Harrison are both in Region 4, which includes districts in Gratiot, Isabella, Clare, Gladwin, Midland, Saginaw, Bay and Arenac counties.
Grants were awarded to nine schools, which serve 19,862 students, in the region.
The MDA is assisted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems and Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities in offering the 10 Cents a Meal program.