The purpose of the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) is to provide Local Education Agencies (LEAs) with monies to purchase and store minimally and unprocessed foods from local producers including those socially disadvantaged for their students in order to strengthen the frequency of procurements and connections between the agricultural community and schools. This grant will provide support for small producers, and provide a variety of regional foods to students to encourage nutrition education. Schools will apply for funds by submitting an application. School will be able to apply for sub-awards up to $10,000. Applications will be reviewed and the awarding of sub-grants will be distributed to schools based on criteria established by DESE and stakeholders. It is expected to see both urban and rural schools participate in the application process. The expected outcome is to promote and foster local food procurement for school meal trays and proper health and safety habits; engage schools with the local agricultural community; and create an opportunity for socially disadvantaged farmers to promote and grow their business. The intended beneficiaries of the LFS grant will be the students by way of assisting LEAs through the challenges of supply chain issues, and small local farmers and producers that are underrepresented. Through this relationship, a stronger partnership between the local producers and local education agencies will benefit the community as a whole. DESE-FNS and partners will make the executive summary available to the public via the DESE-FNS website.
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