Maine Schools in attendance had the opportunity to learn from Child Nutrition Chef Michele Bisbee about different steps they could take to prep vegetables more efficiently. During the class, participants learned how to use small equipment that can help speed up kitchen preparation.
The class also worked on developing skills that will help save time in the kitchen, enabling them to focus on providing more meals that have been cooked from scratch.
The Maine Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Program is excited to announce the official launch of Maine’s Harvest of the Month (HOM) Program. The program was piloted in schools in Spring 2019 with participation from over 165 schools state-wide. The full roll out of the program begins this fall for School Year 2020.
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
Harvest of the Month (HOM) is a nationwide marketing campaign promoting the use of seasonally available, local products in schools, institutions, and communities. Each month, a different local product is highlighted and participating entities pledge to serve the product and promote it through educational materials and activities. The program launched in California and has been replicated by dozens of other states across the country. With Maine’s participation, all New England states now have Harvest of the Month programs.
FARMERS AND LOCAL PRODUCERS
One of the major goals of the Maine HOM program is to support Maine farmers and producers, and therefore Maine’s local economy. To help School Food Service Directors successfully source each month’s product, a list of participating producers has been created to help them connect with local farmers, providers, and distributors. Farmers and producers who provide HOM products to schools have the chance to be highlighted on the DOE website, HOM social media, etc. We would like to add more producers to the list for School Year 2020!
SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE
Participating School Food Service Directors are asked to take a pledge to serve the monthly HOM product at least two times per month in their cafeterias. In addition to this, they pledge to display HOM promotional materials, such as posters, fun facts, and stickers for students who have tried the HOM product. Featured recipes are also provided each month. They also agree to participate in evaluations so that local produce procurement can be tracked and to analyze the success of the program. Local products may be sourced directly from farms, farmer cooperatives, and distributors. When buying produce directly from a farm or farmer cooperative, School Food Service Directors may take advantage of the Local Produce Fund, which reimburses $1 for every $3 spent on local produce.
Agriculture and Education in Partnership
The Maine Department of Education and Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry have been exploring more ways to connect farmers and food producers with their local school districts. “School food service programs and local farms can go hand and hand, which is why the Maine Bureau of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is pleased to collaborate with DOE’s Harvest of the Month program,” according to Nancy McBrady, Director of the Bureau of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Resources. “This program allows participating schools to purchase local, nutritious foods which helps boost farm incomes while educating students about local agriculture. The program directly links School Food Service Directors with participating farmers and producers in their community and the Bureau is thrilled that the Local Produce Fund can assist School Food Service Directors in ordering even more local produce. The Bureau encourages local producers to sign up to be a Harvest of the Month source for schools today!”
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A HOM SOURCE FOR SCHOOLS,
Gorham School District was one of 40 recipients nationwide to receive a $25,000 Neighborhood Assist Grant. They received the award for the efforts with their BackPack Program and School Garden, an initiative that provides food for students and families experiencing food insecurity in the community.
This past June, State Farm accepted 2,000 applications for their Neighborhood Assist grant program. Submissions represented causes from throughout the country which focused on education, safety, and community development initiatives. A review committee narrowed down the submissions to the top 200 finalists which were posted online and voted on by the public. The 40 causes with the most votes each won a $25,000 grant.
Gorham’s BackPack Team Administers weekend food and snack bags to students, offering a school food pantry at the high school, and by growing a school garden which provides fresh produce to the local food pantry during the growing season. The BackPack Program sends food home every weekend with students who would otherwise not have enough food to last through the weekend. Learn more here.
LD 577, Public Law 2019, Chapter 428 An Act To Increase Access to Nutritious Foods in Schools by Implementing an After-school Food Program for At-risk Students, will become law on September 19, 2019. We have received questions from district leaders, asking for clarification.
The law states that, beginning in the 2019-20 school year, a school administrative unit with at least one public school in which at least 50% of students qualified for a free or reduced-price lunch during the preceding school year, shall participate in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). A report listing all districts/schools that meet that 50% or more criteria can be found here. We have also provided a link for those who wish to read LD 577 in its entirety. Please note that a school administrative unit that is required to operate a federal Child and Adult Care Food Program may choose not to operate such a program if it determines, by a vote of the governing body of the school administrative unit, and after notice and a public hearing, that operating such a program would be financially or logistically impracticable. A program, or the public hearing and vote to not host a program, can occur at any point in a school year.
TO ASSIST OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT AND NUTRITION LEADERS
Child Nutrition has created a “Frequently Asked Questions” document regarding LD 577, and it is posted on our webpage.
A FREE Webinar on the basics of the requirements and program is being offered. Register NOW!
CACFP At Risk 101 Webinar September 18, 2019 at 1:30-2:30pm Topics:
Briefly discuss LD 577 and requirements
CACFP meal pattern
Record keeping requirements
Filing claims
CACFP review process
CNPweb agreement
If you have any questions regarding the CACFP At Risk Afterschool Program, please contact the Child Nutrition Office at 624-6843.
We are excited to announce that the Maine Farm to School Network has received a $25,000 USDA Farm to School Training Grant to build local food procurement capacity in Maine schools. Designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools, USDA Farm to School grants can help farm to school programs get started or expand existing efforts. “This award will develop the capacity of Maine school food directors to purchase from and support Maine farmers,” comments Stephanie Cesario, Maine Farm to School Network Coordinator. “The funds will support local foods procurement training for food service directors across the state as well as network building,” she added.
The Maine Farm to School Network, in collaboration with other state farm to school advocates, will offer local procurement and network building trainings at the 2019 Maine Farm to School Conference being held at the Kennebec Valley Community College, Alfond Campus in Clinton, ME on October 3-4, 2019. The combined trainings count towards 7.25 contact hours for school nutrition professionals.
Maine schools are ramping up their local food purchasing to support local farms and the local economy, while making school meals fresher and more appealing! The pre-conference local procurement training on October 3rd will join Martine Cherry, USDA Team Lead and Procurement Specialist, and Abbie Nelson, Farm to School Program Director from Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT FEED) and NOFA-VT for a fun, interactive afternoon of digging into local food procurement rules and guidelines so schools can get the local foods they want! This hands-on workshop is designed for school nutrition directors, kitchen managers, business managers, and others responsible for school food purchasing.
This free, 3-hour training will explore topics such as micro purchasing, informal bid process, Buy American provision, purchasing thresholds, values-based buying, and the importance of relationship building with food producers. Participants will learn how to apply strategies to make the most of marketing tools like Maine Harvest of the Month, and reimbursement opportunities like the Local Produce Fund, to either start a local purchasing strategy or take it to the next level.
To register for the training and to learn more about the 2019 Maine Farm to School Conference and Maine’s Farm to School initiatives visit www.mainefarmtoschool.org/conference. A limited number of scholarships are available to support costs associated with attending the local procurement training.
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) recently held an open house to showcase a new culinary classroom based in its Augusta offices. Located just across the river from the Capitol complex, the new space also houses offices for the Child Nutrition Team and the Education in Unorganized Territories (EUT) team as well.
The hallway that can be seen upon entering the new office space for Maine DOE’s Child Nutrition and EUT Teams.
Maine DOE Child Nutrition staff member, Paula Nadeau stands in a new conference room at the DOE.
The entrance way to the office of the Education in Unorganized Territories (EUT) where EUT staff member Cathy Severance can be seen sitting at her desk.
The new kitchen is supplied with industrial stoves, appliances, sinks, counter space, ventilation, and tools that will allow the child nutrition team to host professional learning opportunities for school nutrition staff that are working in schools throughout the state. Pending the final touches on some cameras and tv monitors, the DOE will be planning some upcoming webinars, with tips and information about how to utilize and cook with USDA approved foods in school kitchens, including cooking from scratch, with vegan options, and keeping up with trends in the food service industry, among other topics.
Just down the hall from the kitchen there is ample office space for the staff who work on the Child Nutrition teams including two chefs and several other nutrition specialists. Maine DOE’s Child Nutrition team is a federally funded function of the Department that works to support federal programs that help fight hunger and obesity, by reimbursing organizations such as schools, child care centers, and after-school programs for providing healthy meals to children. They also help run the Summer Food Service Program and oversee several United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services programs and initiatives that provide healthy food to children.
Child Nutrition Chefs, April Taylor and Michele Bisbee.
While the Child Nutrition Team is working hard to ensure Maine kids have healthy meals, their neighbors, the EUT team, are next door providing State-run administrative services for Maine schools that enroll students from unorganized territories throughout the State, ensuring students who do not have a school near their home have access to elementary and secondary education. The EUT places and supports 900 students from unorganized territories all over the state with tuition, special education services, transportation, and advocacy. They also help run EUT schools, Connor Consolidated School in Connor Township; Edmunds Consolidated School in Edmunds Township; and Kingman Elementary School in Kingman. Maine has 421 (and growing) unorganized territories with students from north to south, inland and islands, mountain areas in the west, and farms areas in the northeast.
In addition to the day-to-day flow of files that pass through the EUT offices during regular business, they also house some unique historical documents with a rich history dating back before the 1920s. Some of which are now on display for visitors to see in their new space, including black and white pictures, hand-drawn floor plans from old school houses, and even some old tuition bills.
Black and white photos taken in unorganized territories, now on display in an old window frame from an EUT school at the Maine DOE.
An old tuition bill for $75.00 from 1929.
EUT staff member Cathy Severance points to a old hand-drawn floor map now on display at the EUT offices in Augusta.
The open house drew colleagues and news stations alike and ended with an announcement that the new kitchen space will be dedicated to Child Nutrition Director Walter Beesley who was instrumental in launching the culinary classroom in hopes of providing more hands-on, advanced support to Maine school kitchen staff.
People gather in the kitchen for the kitchen dedication.
Walter Beesley holds up the new kitchen sign dedicating the space to him for his efforts to launch the classroom.
Walter Beesley being interviewed by Channel 8 news.
Maine DOE Child Nutrition staff members, Stephanie Stambach, Adriane Ackroyd, and Michele Bisbee.
For more information about Maine DOE’s Child Nutrition Team, please visit their website or contact their offices, and for more information about Education in Unorganized Territories, please visit this webpage for contact information.
The Maine Department of Education Child Nutrition Program is excited to announce the official launch of Maine’s Harvest of the Month (HOM) Program. The program was piloted in schools in Spring 2019, with participation from over 165 schools state-wide. The full roll out of the program begins this fall for School Year 2020.
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
Harvest of the Month (HOM) is a nationwide marketing campaign, promoting the use of seasonally available, local products in schools, institutions, and communities. Each month a different local product is highlighted, and participating entities pledge to serve the product and promote it through educational materials and activities. The program launched in California, and has been replicated by dozens of other states across the country. With Maine’s participation, all New England states now have Harvest of the Month programs.
MAINE HARVEST OF THE MONTH
Participating School Food Service Directors are asked to take a pledge to serve the monthly HOM product at least two times per month in their cafeterias. In addition to this, they pledge to display HOM promotional materials, such as posters, fun facts, and stickers for students who have tried the HOM product. Featured recipes are also provided each month. In taking the pledge, schools agree to participate in evaluations so that local food procurement can be tracked and to analyze the success of the program. Local products may be sourced directly from farms, farmer cooperatives, and distributors. When buying produce directly from a farm or farmer cooperative, School Food Service Directors may take advantage of the Local Produce Fund, which reimburses $1 for every $3 spent on local produce (up to $1,000 per district for SY 2020).
To sign up for the Harvest of the Month Program, please sign the pledge at https://forms.gle/M3av147TXBHBjGPh9. Interested school districts have until October 1, 2019 to sign up.
The Office on Smoking and Health, CDC released a new feature for a new school year, aimed at helping people who work with youth to open a discussion about the risks of e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes are now the most common type of tobacco product used by youth in the United States. More and more youth report trying and regularly using e-cigarettes. The rising numbers threaten decades of progress in controlling youth tobacco product use.
Nicotine in e-cigarettes can harm developing brains, and may make it more likely that young people will start using regular cigarettes. This feature gives important facts about the risks of e-cigarettes, plus tips for talking to young people and resources for both adults and youth.
Everyone—teachers, coaches, health care providers, and parents—has a part to play in educating youth about the risks of e-cigarettes.
Be sure to follow CDC Tobacco Free on Facebook and Twitter for social media posts to share with partners, friends, and family.
For more information and resources in Maine go to Prevention for ME.
What: Open House and Introduction to NEW Child Nutrition Culinary Classroom When: Sept 10, 2019 1pm – 4pm Where: 90 Blossom Lane, 1st floor Deering Building
We are excited to announce and to show off the Maine Department of Education Child Nutrition Team’s first culinary classroom for the School Lunch and Breakfast program, and invite members of the child nutrition/school communities and media outlets to an open house of our new kitchen. The classroom replicates the kitchens found in our schools, with commercial ovens, cook tops and other commercial equipment used in school meal preparation. The modern classroom will have the ability to stream, record and host live audiences for demonstrations, and the Child Nutrition program will use resident chefs to provide additional training to local food service staff. The kitchen will be able to rotate 30 cooks at time, with both hands-on experience and paperwork management. Some examples of upcoming classes are: knife skills and maintenance, preparing summer squash, measuring techniques, using USDA foods effectively, and vegan options. The kitchen will be the host of the annual school cook off contest as well. We are excited by the possibilities and grateful for the amazing space in which we can support our school nutrition programs as they provide healthy meals to Maine’s students.
Kittery School Department hosted a kick-off pizza party this week welcoming children in their community to enjoy free lunch all summer long. At the event they served pizza, watermelon, chocolate hummus with strawberries, snacks, and milk. This event is hosted annually to let the community know about the Summer Food Service Program that provides free lunch to all kids Monday through Friday throughout the summer months, completely free, no questions asked.
Kaitlin Beach, Shapleigh School Assistant Principal and Alli Gamache, Mitchell Primary School Principal
Funded by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Maine Department of Education in partnership with local sponsors throughout the state, the Summer Food Service Program is an extension of the Federal Child Nutrition program found in schools across the nation which provides free or reduced priced meals to families who qualify. The Kittery School Department is one of 463 sites located in Maine this summer who offer the Summer Food Service Program.
Traip Academy Assistant Principal/Athletic Director, Kittery School Department Superintendent, Eric Waddell, and Michael Roberge, Traip Academy Principal John Drisko serving pizza at the event
The strong connections between the Kittery School Department and their community allow them to not only host the summer meal program at the Kittery Community Center where kids are in and out all day participating in summer activities through the recreational department, but also provides the kids with other opportunities and activities available through community partnerships. For example, at the event this week, each student received a free backpack with school supplies tucked inside. The backpacks and the supplies are donated with the help of United Way and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Each time kids come back for a meal this summer they will get an additional item for their backpack. Wendy Collins, Kittery School Department School Nutrition Director and the organizer of the Summer Food Service Program, hopes it will help get kids to come back and eat each day and spread the word about this wonderful service to the community.
Sarah Perkins and Catherine Hoffmann, from the Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council
Also present at the event was the Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council who have helped support the Kittery School Department through grant funding. During the event they helped serve the milk for lunch that day and promoted their Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative. In addition, there were representatives from Let’s Go! promoting their statewide initiative 5-2-1-0 Goes to Child Care to help communities maintain and improve upon their healthy food choices and physical activity opportunities. They provided activities and games for kids to enjoy after lunch, along with the many other fun things available including face painting and a large Thomas & Friends themed bounce house.
The event served 193 kids who all got to enjoy a delicious and nutritious meal provided by a school department and its community who care so very much about the children and families who live in their community.
To find summer meal sites near you, visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks, and type in your address. The map will be populated with the sites nearest to you. You can also text “Summer Meals” to 97779 or call Maine 211.
Representatives from Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 Goes to Child Care doing activities with kids
Kids doing face painting
Sarah Perkins and Catherine Hoffmann, from the Maine Dairy & Nutrition Council pose Adriane Ackroyd from the Maine Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Team.
Maine DOE Newsroom 