Food & Ag FoodCorps Update
4/21/2008
Heading Toward $1 Million: Grow Montana's FoodCorps Brings Local Food to Montana Schools
Since last summer, five Montana schools and colleges served $831,562 worth of Montana-grown meats, grains, dairy, and fresh produce ranging from apples to zucchini—all with the help of a team called FoodCorps, five full-time Americorps VISTA volunteers stationed at each institution for the sole purpose of helping to rebuild Montana's food economy. At this rate, the collective Farm to Cafeteria spending in Montana will easily top $1 million for the year.
As well, FoodCorps enjoys success far beyond the dollar signs. Their cafeterias serve as a delicious learning opportunity for students, teachers, staff, and administrators at Montana's schools and colleges. FoodCorps volunteers spend almost half of their time on education and outreach, and have reached nearly 3,000 Montanans with local food events and presentations.
Examples of the kinds of creative outreach ideas used by FoodCorps include:
- Erin Foster West, FoodCorps volunteer with Missoula County Public Schools, nurtures a new generation of local-foodies through taste tests, cooking projects, and field trips. Erin has already worked with nearly 800 K-12 students.
- At Salish Kootenai College, FoodCorps volunteer Patrick Murphy has helped to integrate the SKC community garden into an youth-oriented summer program curriculum.
- At The University of Montana—Missoula, Sarah Kester uses social networking sites such as MySpace and FaceBook—which 70% of college students use regularly—to raise awareness about the Farm to College program.
- At the University of Montana Western, FoodCorps volunteer Kevin Moore capitalized on winter ski-fever by giving away ski tickets and other prizes at local food events.
- For Montana State University and Bozeman Public Schools, Tessa Roberts created outreach materials illustrating the miles a typical food item traveled—“food miles”—compared to the locally-grown equivalent.
These Farm to Cafeteria foodies have developed valuable skills while working with all kinds of Montanans, and are proud of the on-the-ground changes they have created in our food system.