Farm to Cafeteria Connections

Profile:
Gallatin Valley Farm To School

VISTA volunteer having a squashing good time advertising the fundraiser at Morning Star Elementary

Gallatin Valley Farm to School (GVF2S) was started in February 2007 by committed and concerned parents and community members. Today, GVF2S is a collaboration between many organizations, such as parent councils from area schools, Bozeman School District Food Service, Montana Outdoor Science School, the Community Food Co-op, Montana State University, and Grow Montana's FoodCorps VISTA program. Gallatin Valley Farm to School is currently a project of
Hopa Mountain.

GVF2S focuses their energy in three areas:

• Procurement. Working with Bozeman School District Food Services, GVF2S seeks out producers who are interested and able to provide food to the schools.
In order to find local vendors they created the Food Map, which is a spreadsheet of producers who are intereseted in working with the schools.
• Student Education campaign. Where does your food come from? This program educates students on how their food choices impact personal health, the environment and the economy. GVF2S will be working with schools, organizations, parents, and other community members to make activities and materials available to students. They also support every school having a school garden that can be utilized as a living laboratory. Part of their student education campaign is the From Farms to School Fundraiser. This fundraiser, which was piloted in Fall 2008 by Team Nutrition, replaces unhealthy school fundraiser products with Montana-made local foods such as huckleberry preserves and syrups, lentils and barley, cereals, olive oil, butter, and fresh product from MSU's campus farm. These Montana-made products will be sold by six elementray schools in Fall 2009.
• Public/parent outreach and networking. To fulfill our mission, GVF2S must work with community members, and organizations who are already doing similar work. Valuable partnerships will ensure that any project GVF2S takes on will continue in the future.

Interested in getting involved? Have questions? Want to join our mailing list? Visit us online at www.gvfarmtoschool.org or email us at lunchbox@gvfarmtoschoo.org.

» Read Past Profiles

Who are some of the Montana food producers that already sell to institutions?

• Montana's institutions are often able to purchase local foods through existing distributors. Click to view a list of Montana foods that are available through Sysco and Food Services of America (FSA).
  

Note * These lists are posted in order to offer an example of which kinds of Montana products are available, be sure to ask your Sysco or FSA representative for the most updated information.

What Montana-grown foods are available in January? April? July?

What other farm to cafeteria resources are available in Montana?

• Americorps VISTA Information Page [PDF/92KB]
  
  
• The Office of Public Instruction's Child Nutrition Program and Montana Team Nutrition are leading supporters of Farm to School. Click here to learn about the resources they provide.
  
  
• Sustainable Living Systems Document:
  Selling Produce Locally: A Briefing Paper for Produce Growers [PDF/21KB]
  3 Ways to Sell Meat Locally: A Briefing Paper for Meat Farmers [PDF/27KB]
  
  
• Marlee Ostheimer, FoodCorps member at Gallatin Valley Farm to School, compiled facts and the latest research on school nutrition and farm to cafeteria in this easy-to-read document. [PDF/206KB]
  
  
• Montana's procurement law encourages purchase of local foods
  
  
• University of Montana Missoula Farm to College:
  http://life.umt.edu/uds/name/Overview
  
  
• University of Montana Western Farm to College:
  www.umwestern.edu/studentlife/dining/page4.htm
  
  
• Montana State University Bozeman Montana Made:
  www.montana.edu/ufs/Montana_Made.php
  
  
• Gallatin Valley Farm to School:
  www.gvfarmtoschool.org
  
  
• Missoula County Community Food & Agriculture Coalition Farm to School Project:
  www.umt.edu/cfa/farmtoschool.htm
  
  
• Farm to School Montana Profile
  www.farmtoschool.org/MT/
  
  
• Food Systems Research
  www.growmontana.ncat.org/resources.php

*Do you know a resource that should be added to this webpage? Please email us and to share it with the network.

What national resources are available?

Vermont FEED Document: "How Do We Feed Vermont's School Children: An Insider's Guide to Vermont School Meals and How to Improve Them."

Read about Ecotrust's report on the economic impacts of Oregon's Farm to School program.

Visit the renegade lunch lady Ann Cooper's website to learn about numerous resources for Farm to School.

Center for Ecoliteracy
• Rethinking School Lunch Guide: www.ecoliteracy.org/programs/rsl-guide.html
• Model Wellness Policy Guide: www.ecoliteracy.org/programs/wellness_policy.html

National Farm to School webpage: www.farmtoschool.org
• Policy: www.farmtoschool.org/policies.php
• Funding Opportunities: www.farmtoschool.org/fundingopps.php

Highlights of Farm to School Policy from Oregon and Washington.

Community Food Security Coalition: www.foodsecurity.org/farm_to_school.html
• Policy: www.foodsecurity.org/policy.html
• Funding Opportunities (Community Food Projects Grants): www.foodsecurity.org/funding.html
• Farm to Hospital: www.foodsecurity.org/F2H_Brochure.pdf

Center for Food & Justice
• Farm to Hospital: http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/f2h.htm
http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/publications/farm_to_hospital.htm

FoodRoutes Farm to Cafeteria:
www.foodroutes.org/farmtoschool.jsp

World Hunger Year – Food Security Learning Center:
http://www.worldhungeryear.org/fslc/faqs/ria_063.asp?section=6&click=1

*Do you know a resource that should be added to this webpage? Please email us and to share it with the network.

Join the Network

Please follow this link to join the Montana Food & Ag. List Serve, a 500 member email list used to discuss issues relating to the Montana Food System.