December 2024 Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District (Orange, MA) is bringing a local, fall twist to a cafeteria classic. Food Service Director Katrina Bressani & her team prepared Koginut squash (cross b/w kabocha and butternut) from Wards Berry Farm (Sharon, MA) and baked it with marinara, mozzarella, basil, and parmesan. Their Squash Parmesan was […]

  When Annie Myers founded Myers Produce, she envisioned a mission-driven company focused on delivering fresh, local produce to their customers. In an interview on October 2, 2024, Annie shared how this mission has expanded to include schools, thanks in large part to the Northeast Food for Schools Program, which allowed her company to begin […]

In an effort to understand the broad impacts of the Northeast Food for Schools (NFS) program* throughout the Commonwealth, we at Massachusetts Farm to School are sitting down with local food hubs, farms, and participating school food programs. This story is drawn from an interview with Kelsey Sanders, Food Service Director at Webster Public Schools, […]

 In an effort to understand the broad impacts of the Northeast Food for Schools (NFS) Grant program in the state, we at Massachusetts Farm to School are sitting down with representatives from local food hubs, farms, and participating schools. In this interview, we hear from Loni Austin, rancher and owner of Austin Ridge Acres, a […]

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 […]