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Action Alert: Contact Your Legislators to Co-Sponsor “An act establishing the Massachusetts Farm to School Program”
A bill to establish a Massachusetts Farm to School Program has been introduced by Representatives Duffy and Vargas and Senator Comerford. "An Act Establishing the Massachusetts Farm to School Program (S.311 in the Senate and HD.1043 in the House) would establish a farm to school grant program and local food incentive within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. You can help move this bill forward by asking your state legislators to sign on as co-sponsors of the bill.
We've drafted the email - just click the take action button below to customize and send to your legislators. We encourage you to personalize the email by sharing your own story and why you believe that more farm to school activity will be good for students, for farmers, and for communities. If you are a current recipient of the MA FRESH grant or are participating in the Northeast Food for Schools incentive, please be sure to note the impact of these programs on your school.
The bill would establish a permanent Massachusetts Farm to School Program consisting of a competitive grant program (the existing MA FRESH grant) and a local food incentive (similar to the current Northeast Food for Schools Program). Together these two initiatives would help more schools and early education programs provide students with healthy, locally grown foods in school meals while offering new markets for our farmers and fishermen. The initiatives would also increase access to experiential education, such as school gardens and would support the infrastructure investments, staff training, and educational initiatives that lead to farm to school program success and sustainability.
* Curious if your legislators are co-sponsors of this bill? You can check by visiting the bill’s website (linked above). If they have signed on, you can include a thank you & express your support.
Sign up as an individual or organization to help bring Massachusetts Food to Massachusetts Kids
Meet with your Legislator
One of the best ways to ensure that your issue remains top of mind for legislators is to build a relationship by meeting one-on-one with your local legislator(s). That’s why we are asking all members and friends of the MA Food for MA Kids Coalition to contact your legislators to tell them why farm to school is important in your community and ask them to support the Farm to School bill.
Having your legislators see what farm to school looks like in person can be one of the most impactful ways to create new farm to school champions in the State House. Invite your legislators to join your school for a lunch that features local foods, see students enjoying a lesson in a school garden, or participate in any other aspect of your farm to school program. You don’t need to put on a whole special event for them to understand the power of your program.
Check out this toolkit from the National Farm to School Network about hosting a legislative visit. It includes sample invite text, a sample agenda, and lots more.
Find your legislator here. Let us know if you’re having trouble getting in touch.
Check out tips for requesting a meeting, including sample email language and a sample meeting agenda and talking points.
If you meet with your legislator, let us know!
Coalition Monthly Meetings
Your voice is needed to make this vision of a healthy, resilient, and equitable school food environment a reality.
The Massachusetts Food for Massachusetts Kids Coalition meets on the first Thursday of the month to move this advocacy effort forward. Sign up to receive emails about these meetings and other updates.
Engage Your Students in Farm to School Advocacy!
Are you an educator? Do you work with students in or out of a school setting? Help them advocate for Farm to School in their communities by encouraging them to fill out a Farm to School Student Advocacy Form! Send the forms back to us and we’ll deliver them to Massachusetts legislators from your community. Send forms to Mass. Farm to School, P.O. Box 213, Beverly, MA 01915 or scan and email dena@massfarmtoschool.org).
Share with Your Networks
Encourage your friends & colleagues to ask their legislators to co-sponsor the farm to school grant bill.
Help us build a large and diverse group of advocates advancing MA Food for MA Kids.
Share why farm to school is important with your legislators.