NW Michigan Food and Farming Network Report to the Community 2015 Report to the Community | Page 30

Food and Farming network

Scaling Up Local
Whole Food for Schools
Let’s feed our
kids brain food!
By Kelly Lively
Cherry Capital Foods
Cherry Capital Foods is aiming for
the 20/20 institutional goal of the
Michigan Good Food Charter. It’s
our job to help schools scale up their
local food procurement, working
within their budgets. Engagement
with the local Farm to School movement falls squarely in line with our
mission to build a socially just and
resilient food system.
Since the inception of the Northwest Michigan Food and Farming Network, school purchases
from Cherry Capital Foods have
grown from $30,000 to more than
$400,000. In our region we have
seen sales triple, from $20,000 to
$60,000 in the last four years.
This growth has a direct impact
on our farms, both big and small. A
mix of farm sizes makes more food
available to kids—both in terms
of volume and in pricing options,
allowing customers to set their own
priorities in farm location, growing
practices, etc. As we have grown and
expanded our buying potential we,
as customers, are able to talk with
farmers about practices, and to partner with them to improve the health
of the food we distribute.
This growth has a direct impact
on our kids. When we feed our children better we build healthy minds
and bodies, thus creating better

School purchases from Cherry Capital Foods have grown from $30,000 to more
than $400,000. In the region sales have tripled, from $20,000 to $60,000 in the last
four years. (Photo: Cherry Capital Foods)

Farm to school
is a win-win
alternative to the
pre-packaged,
over-processed
food-like junk
that has been
so prevalent for
many years.
learning outcomes. Farm to school
is a win-win alternative to the prepackaged, over-processed food-like
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junk that has been so prevalent for
many years.
At Cherry Capital Foods, we help
schools connect the food with the
farm, through materials that they
can share with parents, faculty, staff,
and students. We provide goods for
fundraisers, special events, FoodCorps tastings—and most importantly, for everyday meals. It is such
a pleasure to have the opportunity
to bring the best of our local soils to
the kitchens that serve our children.
Working with network partners in
our region, the future potential is
great, and we look forward to our
role.
www.cherrycapitalfoods.com