Food Connects

Farm to SchoolIn 2022, The Farm to School Program was able to support schools in the transition back to a somewhat new normal. Outdoor education, especially school gardens, and outdoor cooking, continue to be an important part of the Farm to School programs at individual schools. We continue to raise funds to improve programming content and increase the delivery of key professional development programs to teachers and other staff. Meal programs continue to provide essential meals for many students, and administrators are seeing that connection and supporting efforts to improve school meal quality and delivery to students. We focused on making sure that staff, students, and families knew more about the school food program and where the food was coming from. CatalystWe continued to work towards building greater community and regional engagement around the regional food system, spreading the word through a variety of channels, including participation in meetings and regular sharing of important information through social media and digital newsletters. Food HubOnce again, the Food Hub enterprise experienced significant growth, supporting more producers in finding new ways to reach new markets. The Food Hub continues to play a role in making sure retail outlets, especially in rural areas, have access to food, as the traditional distribution system continues to struggle with the supply chain and labor shortages. We added a more formal role in providing Technical Assistance to other food hubs and producers, aiming to do more of that with a focus on getting producers ready for wholesale and food safety requirements. We continue to build strong partnerships with other food system-related organizations to provide technical assistance and educate consumers about where their food comes from. All food sales revenue was used to cover the costs of operations.