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REAP's Farm to School Director, Allison Pfaff Harris, recently shared an article in Madison Locally Sourced sharing the evolution of the Farm to School program over the past 25 years, and particularly since the onset of the COVID pandemic. As Allison explains, the pandemic-induced pause in on-site programming gave REAP an opportunity to reassess and reimagine its role in the farm to school movement: From educators, farmers, and producers alike, we heard the importance of uplifting and connecting the diverse voices of agriculture to students in the classroom and for students to both see and envision themselves shaping communities through careers in agriculture and local food...

April, 2023 The Dane County Food Collective (DCFC), established in 2022, aims to create a stronger food system in Dane County. Composed of service industry workers, farmers, nonprofit organizations, and community members, DCFC "works for the betterment of our local food system through advocacy, resource-sharing, health and wellness efforts, and collective action."This month REAP Food Group shows its support for DCFC by becoming its fiscal sponsor. Fiscal sponsorship allows DCFC to build its mission and organization structure from the ground up, while accessing resources available to nonprofits, like tax deductible donations and grant funding. REAP Executive Director, Phil Kauth explains, "When REAP was approached to be a fiscal sponsor for [DCFC], I was excited about the potential for collaboration. DCFC's network of chefs and food entrepreneurs are passionate about changing the food system, which aligns with REAP's mission. We are excited about collaborating on hosting events and the potential for advocacy to change policies affecting the food system, [and] looking forward to working together and learning from each other." REAP team member and DCFC organizer Noah Bloedorn adds, “The strength of DCFC is that it is member-led and nimble, having REAP as a fiscal sponsor provides us with organizational support that allows us to raise funds, apply for grants, and provides us with administrative oversight without requiring DCFC to employ additional staff or have a board (which would take time and resources away from focusing on programming).” Learn more about DCFC below, and visit @danecountyfoodcollective on Instagram to learn how to get involved in the last few days of Wellness Weeks. ...

Attention farmers and producers: Join REAP and the Farm Fresh Atlas plus the Community Action Coalition at Madison College on Jan. 31. Connect with local purchasers and local food supporters and learn about the new RFSI (Resilient Food System Infrastructure) Program. Network with other local farmers, restaurants, institutional purchasers, food pantries, and more. Food and drinks will be provided. ...

Last week, REAP was awarded the Above and Beyond Award, given to "a business who has taken the extra step in doing good in the community," at the Local Biz Awards hosted by Dane Buy Local. Our executive director, Phil Kauth, was honored to accept the award representing the organization. Congratulations to Garver Feed Mill for being nominated for the Community Supporter Award! See the full list of nominees at https://danebuylocal.com/2023-biz-nominees/. ...

Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, recently named “Farms to Families,” the collaborative fund by Roots4Change and REAP Food Group, one of the recipients of its Food Security Equity Impact Fund grant. Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin, a member of Feeding America and partner in Farms to Families, applied for the grant.  Farms2Families was co-created by Roots4Change and REAP during the height of the pandemic in 2020. It began as a way to directly support Latino/indigenous families with access to healthy, sustainable food, health and housing assistance, and through employment opportunities. The program has persisted while expanding its scope. Since Fall 2022, Farms to Families has provided Latino/Indigenous families in their postnatal journeys with nutritious food plus co-learning spaces for culturally relevant food preparation, breastfeeding, and more. Ingredients sourced from BIPOC and women-owned local food farmers and businesses are packed for families and distributed from Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin. The Feeding America grant, the second release of its kind, released more than $4 million to 10 food banks working with 15 community-based organizations to address the root causes of hunger and food insecurity. A total of 85% of the grant goes to Roots4Change and REAP Food Group, while Second Harvest receives 15%. The Feeding America grant will allow Roots4Change and REAP to continue funding Farms to Families for two more years.  “Together, and as a collective, we can work in partnership with neighbors, community partner organizations, and network members to elevate and to center the importance of equity as we move forward in making a deeper impact across this nation,” said Mya Price, Food Security Equity Impact Fund director at Feeding America. “With the Food Security Equity Impact Fund, Feeding America is investing in innovative solutions created by community-led organizations that will remove the barriers and increase equitable access to food while centering their neighbor’s voices in the work they do.” The Food Security Equity Impact Fund is part of Feeding America’s broader grantmaking strategy to intentionally support communities of color and rural communities known to be disproportionately impacted by food insecurity. It was created in March 2021 and was seeded with a $20 million donation from MacKenzie Scott.  For more information about Feeding America and the Food Security Equity Impact Fund, please visit feedingamerica.org/equityimpact. ...

Update 6.13.2023: On Monday, June 12, members of Healthy School Meals for All held a rally inside the State Capitol in support of free school meals for all and other provision rejected in the recent state budget vote. Read about the rally and hear speeches on Channel 3000, CBS, WORT, and SoundCloud. It’s not over, it’s just the beginning. During the current 2023-2024 state legislative session, many organizations, including REAP Food Group, have been advocating to include the Governor’s Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids plan in the final Joint Committee on Finance budget. The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids plan includes three components: 1) Appropriating state dollars to provide free school breakfast and lunch meals to all Wisconsin K-12 students (also known as Healthy School Meals for All), 2) Fully funding state school breakfast reimbursement at 15-cents per meal served, as called for in state law, and  3) Reimbursing school districts an additional 10-cents per meal for those including locally sourced foods. We are disappointed that the Joint Committee on Finance removed both Healthy School Meals for All and the 10-cent local food reimbursement incentive from the budget. The $2.75 million allocated in the Governor’s budget for schools to serve local foods, out of an historic one time state budget surplus of approximately $7 billion, would have grown markets for Wisconsin farmers, stimulated the local economy, and provided all children access to fresh local foods through school. The $2.75 million allocated in the Governor’s budget for schools to serve local foods, out of an historic one time state budget surplus of approximately $7 billion, would have grown markets for Wisconsin farmers, stimulated the local economy and provided all children access to fresh local foods through school. Even though breakfast reimbursement is still in the budget, a majority of the Joint Committee on Finance members must vote to approve including it in the committee’s budget bill. This vote will occur at a committee meeting in the next few weeks, when they vote to approve the Department of Public Instruction’s budget.  REAP and the Healthy School Meals For All Coalition will continue to advocate for Healthy School Meals for All and  the 10-cent per meal local food reimbursement incentive, as these are vital investments in our communities that create Wisconsin jobs in food and agriculture, save families time and money, and ensure all children get the nutrition they need to learn and succeed in school. [T]hese are vital investments in our communities that create Wisconsin jobs in food and agriculture, save families time and money, and ensure all children get the nutrition they need to learn and succeed in school. Meanwhile, REAP Food Group commits to using the platform we’ve built over 25 years in the community to push even past budget approval. We will: Connect schools with local farmers and growersListen to voices from around the state to understand needs and solutionsEducate our audience on the urgency of free school meals for the health of our children and local economy Despite being removed from the budget, there is still time to voice our support for Healthy...