Bringing the Farm to School with Cornucopia Project
Cornucopia Project (NH) was awarded $100,000 to activate a cohort of student farmers and experienced producers to build direct procurement relationships with two school districts, increasing access to fresh, local food while offering hands-on agricultural education to 1400 students.
Building a Sustainable Farm to School Foundation in Dartmouth Public Schools
Dartmouth Public Schools (MA) was awarded $46,286 to launch a sustainable, district-wide farm-to-school program that improves student nutrition, supports the local farm economy, and builds lasting systems for local food sourcing, preparation, and engagement across six schools serving 3,400 students.
Building More Durable Local Markets: Linking RI Farmers, Processors, and Campus Kitchens
Hope & Main (RI) was awarded $100,000 to create a scalable model for processing and serving locally grown food in campus dining programs by establishing a forward contracting agreement between Rhode Island’s BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee farmers and three local colleges.
Establishing the Local Grass-fed Beef Supply Chain for Vermont State University
Nonprofit Organization for Philanthropic Initiatives (VT) was awarded $98,540.00 to establish a consistent supply chain for local grass-fed beef across Vermont State University’s five campuses, addressing barriers for small-scale farmers while leveraging the new 1787 Butchery, a ten-year Sodexo dining contract, and committed campus leadership to create a stable, lasting supply chain.
From Orchard to Lunchbox: A Regional EcoCertified Sliced Apple Program
Red Tomato (RI) was awarded $99,994 to expand a cost-competitive, regionally sourced sliced-apple program for K–12 districts, linking EcoCertified orchards with processors and food service providers to create an important markets for farmers, fill gaps in school food sourcing, and ensure equitable access to nutritious, locally-grown fruit for students.
Greening Up the Big Green’s Dining Program with Kale: Localizing Food Procurement for Dartmouth Dining and the Upper Valley
Dartmouth College (NH) was awarded $100,000 to expand local food procurement in the Upper Valley by developing a processed kale product for Dartmouth College and other institutional buyers. Partnering with Just Cut and Vital Communities, this cross-state initiative will connect small and mid-sized Upper Valley farms to anchor institutions in New Hampshire.
Growing Groton’s Farm to School Program
Groton Public Schools (CT) was awarded $100,000 to expand its farm-to-school program by building an onsite food processing kitchen, enhancing student education in nutrition and sustainable agriculture, and providing year-round access to fresh, Connecticut grown foods for over 4,000 students across seven schools.
Island Grown Food for Schools
Island Grown Initiative (MA) was awarded $99,860 to strengthen the farm-to-school supply chain on Martha’s Vineyard by building food hub capacity to aggregate, source, and deliver local and regional foods to all seven public schools, tripling local food use in school meals and sustaining year-round markets for Island farmers and fishermen who experience a challenging drop in demand during the off season.
New Bedford EATS: Farm to Students Daily
New Bedford Public Schools (MA) was awarded $100,000 to expand access to nutritious, speed-scratch meals for over 14,000 students by increasing collaboration with Coastal Foodshed and the Marion Institute. New Bedford will increase its local and regional food procurement, engage in a regional cohort of districts collaborating on local purchasing, and continue its district-wide garden education program for students.
New England Harvest Menus: Local Food Collaboration Across Large, Urban Districts
Massachusetts Farm to School (MA) was awarded $100,000 to lead a two-year initiative to align menu development and local purchasing in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield brings a fully functioning center kitchen to be used for recipe development, Boston brings a team of experienced chefs to lead this recipe development, and Worcester’s central location lends itself to hosting partners for on-site learning and trainings.
Securing Vermont’s Apple Supply Chain for Schools and Higher Education
Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VT) was awarded $100,000 to support urgent repairs and long-term modernization at Sunrise Orchard’s cold storage facility, ensuring that apples and cider remain available year-round to 66 K–12 school districts and higher education institutions, including Middlebury College and the Burlington School District.
The Equitable Kitchens Initiative: Modernizing WSESU School Kitchens for Local Foods, Scratch Cooking with Local Ingredients, and Inclusive Menus
Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (VT) was awarded $99,104 to modernize five school kitchens, enabling the district to make significant strides forward in its transition to a self-operated nutrition program. With new equipment and infrastructure, the district will increase its local purchasing by more than $50,000 annually, support 2,350 students with fresh, local meals, while supporting Vermont farmers, creameries, and food businesses.
UMass Fresh 2Go: Increasing Access to Fresh, Convenient, and Local Food
University of Massachusetts Amherst was awarded $99,961 to launch the Fresh 2Go retail dining project. Using a new mobile ordering platform, 20,000 UMass students and staff will now have access to affordable meal options that prioritize local ingredients, starting with Little Leaf lettuce, Reed Farm chicken, Maine Family Farms beef, and Atlas Farm tomatoes. An accompanying student engagement marketing campaign will elevate the local farms and educate students about the value of buying local.
Reviewers
The Henry P. Kendall Foundation would like to thank our October proposal reviewers for their participation in the Prize program. Each of these individuals brought important personal and professional experience and varying perspectives that added immense value to the review process.
Reviewers are assigned a subset of proposals and provide written and numerical feedback to Foundation staff via the Food Vision Prize rubric.
Holly Fowler, Co-Founder & CEO / Northbound Ventures, Montpelier, VT
Holly is the co-founder & CEO of Northbound Ventures Consulting, a small, woman-owned consultancy based in Montpelier, Vermont and focused on food systems, population health and community economic revitalization. Since 2013, Holly has supported more than 150 research and planning projects throughout New England and nationally that represent food centered strategic change initiatives aimed at expanding who participates in and benefits from our food system, prioritizing more transparent and values-based supply chains, and increasing regional resiliency in all its forms. Holly previously served as the Senior Director of Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility for Sodexo North America, the world’s second largest provider of institutional food service, where her work in sustainable agriculture, energy, water, waste, health, and employee engagement reached 6,000 clients of all sizes in all sectors including Fortune 500 companies, national health care networks, public school districts, colleges and universities, city and state governments, and non-profit organizations. Holly has supported the New England Food Vision Prize since its inception in 2018 as a key strategic advisor and proposal reviewer.
James Harrison, Food Systems Consultant
James “J.” Harrison is a food system consultant working at the intersection of farming, food access, and public policy in Massachusetts. Through his practice, he partners with food system organizations to strengthen strategy, governance, and leadership. Prior to opening his consultancy, he worked for many years at The Food Project, as a farmer, as Director of Agriculture, as North Shore Director, and ultimately as Executive Director. He also served as FoodCorps’ MA state host site supervisor, working with Americorps Members, schools, and community organizations across the state to advance food and farming education and farm-to-school efforts. J. currently serves on the advisory board of the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative and as a Trustee at the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture.
Sherlene Rodriguez, Program Director / CT NOFA: The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut
With two decades of program and project management experience in biotechnology and the non-profit sector, Sherlene transitioned her career in 2019 to focus on food systems and agriculture. Her dedication lies in implementing solutions that address system sustainability, food justice, environmental justice, and health justice. Sherlene manages several NOFA programs that offer producers educational opportunities, mentorship, and technical assistance including the annual winter conference. She leads initiatives that assist producers in transitioning to organic certification through farmer-to-farmer mentorship and technical assistance. Sherlene is also a business advisor in training at The Carrot Project. Sherlene holds a Master of Science in Strategic Leadership from Roberts Wesleyan Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Betsy Rosenbluth, Farm to School Director / Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, VT
Betsy Rosenbluth is the Farm to School Director at Shelburne Farms, an education nonprofit on a mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future. She serves as Co-Director of Vermont FEED, a nationally recognized farm to school partnership program with the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, and she also coordinates the Northeast Farm to School Collaborative, comprised of farm to school leaders working to catalyze food system change, starting with the school community. Prior to Shelburne Farms, Betsy was Director of Projects/Interim Director at the Orton Family Foundation with a focus on community planning, development, and engagement.
Ayn Yeagle MS, RD, Executive Director / Growing Places, Leominster, MA
Ayn Yeagle, MS, RD is Executive Director of Growing Places, where she leads efforts to expand food access and redesign local food systems in North Central Massachusetts. A lifelong resident of the region, Ayn is a Registered Dietitian with extensive experience running large-scale nutrition programs, including Meals on Wheels across 27 communities and serving as Northeast Regional Dietitian for Chartwells School Nutrition, supporting 110 school districts in New England and Upstate New York. She represents Community Nutrition on the Massachusetts Food Policy Council and is an Adjunct Professor at Boston University, teaching Nutrition in the Life Course. Ayn and her husband Jason, also a Dietitian, share their love of healthy eating and local food with their two daughters, Macy and Mia, in Princeton, MA.