Feed Our Future: Local Foods for Growing Minds, located in Cuyahoga County, OH is a farm to school initiative with almost two decades of experience supporting schools, producers, and children support local communities and economies across Ohio. The Feed Our Future team connects schools, local farmers and food producers, and communities through capacity building, funding, and technical assistance. Our work supports sourcing, promoting, and eating fresh, healthy local and regional foods at school.
We are so excited to start the school year with old and new friends alike. Whether this is your first school year with Feed Our Future or you have been with us for a while, our programs are designed to make implementing farm to school as easy as possible.
Programs for Farmers and Food Producers
- Farmer and Food Producer Cost Share program: The cost share program is intended to provide financial support to producers that have been historically underinvested in, with a specific focus on those new, small/medium, BIPOC and businesses with owners that identified as a socially disadvantaged group in readying their operations for third party audits.
- Farm to School Readiness plans: Through a number of one on one consultations we work with new farmers and food producers to explore important topics for entering the farm to school supply chain. These plans ensure that farmers and food producers have the information they need to sell their food to schools.
- Farm to School Bid: The Farm to School Bid was created in partnership with Ohio Schools Council to create more market opportunities for small and medium sized local producers. The goal is to increase locally-sourced food in Ohio school meals. Applications open in February for the next school year. If you are interested in learning more, send us an email
- Grower Story Telling Toolkits: The fun and bright poster, trading card and flyer are intended to introduce students to growers who are supply fresh, local produce for their school meals.
Programs for School Nutrition Professionals
- School Equipment Cost Share program: The cost share program is intended to provide financial support to schools who have students with the greatest need, with a specific focus on schools that have high percentages of BIPOC students and/or economically disadvantaged students in purchasing small kitchen equipment that will help them serve more local foods.
- No cost, self-paced professional development: Explore our two online, no cost professional development tools for all school nutrition staff. Both tools were created using feedback from school nutrition professionals.
- From Farm to Harvest Bar: Your Tool for Fresh, Local Build Your Own Bars- Build on your current skills to order, prep, assemble, and promote fresh, build-your-own Harvest Bars that students will love. We cover three seasonal bar concepts: Yogurt Harvest Bar(Fall), Baked Potato Harvest Bar (Winter), and Growing with Greens Harvest Bar (Spring/Summer).
- Launching Local: Your Farm to School Guide- Through hands-on recipes, helpful videos and clear instructions this tool boosts your skills to prepare nutritious, exciting meals for your students.
- Harvest of the Month Program: The Harvest of the Month program highlights a locally grown food item each month of the year. To engage students, and teach them about local food, we have created Harvest of the Month kits. Feed Our Future offers kits based on grade level: K-5 or 6-12 and they can be purchased as an annual bundle or for each season. The kits include posters, window clings, waterless temporary tattoos, pins, recipes and stickers. Shop our kits here!
- Grower Story Telling Toolkits– The fun and bright poster, trading card and flyer are intended to introduce students to growers who are supply fresh, local produce for their school lunches. Shop the kits here!
- eNewsletter: Each month we share information and resources to help child nutrition programs serve and teach about fresh local foods in their cafeteria. One of our most popular resources is our market basket comparison, a one stop price comparison to help you take advantage of seasonal pricing easily. Sign up for our newsletters here.
- Farm to School Bid: In partnership with Ohio Schools Council, we have created a farm to school bid to make buying local food easier and more accessible to busy school nutrition staff. The bid focuses on fruits, vegetables, and value-added products with local ingredients, and provides the infrastructure and opportunity needed by school districts to buy local foods.
- Totally Tasty Events: Ever wonder if a new menu item will be liked by students? Want to try new local foods but want to trial them before buying? Our Totally Tasty events create a fun space for students to try fresh local foods that may be new to them and then vote whether they LIKED IT, LOVED IT , or NOT FOR ME. Check out last year’s Totally Tasty report here. If you are interested in scheduling a totally tasty event fill out our interest form here and we will reach out to you to plan your event.
Programs for Students and Parents
- Food Leaders Alliance (FLA), Feed Our Future’s newest program, is a youth ambassador program that is being piloted for middle school students in Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Crestwood Local School District. Students are tasked with being advocates and leaders among their peers to get healthier and local food into their school meals. Read more about the FLA here.
- Visit our Harvest of the Month hub for activities and recipes that the whole family can enjoy.
Feed Our Future’s work has positively impacted countless students, local farmers and food producers by making nutritious, locally grown food a staple in school cafeterias. We continue to work every day to continue fostering these relationships to ensure school meals are fresh and healthy.
Anyone interested in joining or learning more can subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out our social media for updates on all the fun this year has in store. Together, we’re cultivating a healthier future—one meal at a time.
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Instagram: @feedourfutureohio