Are you ready to go back to school? We sure are!

The beginning of September and going back to school is an exciting time for everyone. It’s a time of change, bringing new routines, new friends, and new learning experiences. In the spirit of change and new experiences, I’d like to introduce myself as the new Montana FoodCorps Fellow, as well as our 2013-2014 team of ten Montana FoodCorps service members!

My name is Kirsten Gerbatsch, and prior to coming to Montana, I was a FoodCorps service member in northwest Michigan for two years, where I learned about the unique challenges and opportunities of healthy, local food access in rural communities. While I feel most at home on farmland surrounded by wilderness, I actually grew up in the crowded suburbs of New Jersey. My interest in agriculture and food issues took root early on during my studies at Reed College in Portland, Oregon when I began volunteering with an urban farms and food bank and studying American history. Since joining FoodCorps, I have decided to pursue a career in national food and agricultural policy. I am honored to have the opportunity to work, learn, and grow here in Montana, and to support the amazing FoodCorps members during their term of service.

I know I speak for the whole team when I say that we are ready to get back to school this fall! After all, there is a bounty of fall produce to harvest from school gardens, local food to put on thousands of lunch trays, and plenty of fun classroom lessons to teach! Our team will be serving in ten locations across the state, including: Boulder, Billings, Bozeman, Kalispell, Ronan, Ennis, Missoula, Butte, North Shore, and Red Lodge. I would like to welcome back four of the service members from last term: Pete Kerns, Erin Jackson, Camille McGovern, and Nicki Jimenez, who will be returning to serve a second year in their communities. And six new folks have joined us this year: Maggie Harkins, Andi Giddings, Demetrius Fassas, Emily Howe, Jessica Manly, and Zoe Tucker.

We are lucky to have the knowledge and experience of our second year members, and I am equally thrilled about the fresh ideas that our newest members will bring to their communities. To learn more about our incredible service members and where they serve, check out our "Current Members" page on our blog. You can visit our Facebook page to stay up to date on the latest FoodCorps stories here: https://www.facebook.com/MontanaFoodCorps. 

Stay tuned for updates throughout the school year to learn more about the incredible changes that each of these service members will make in the school food environment this year. Here’s to a great start to the new school year and the newest class of Montana FoodCorps Service Members!

The Fight to End Childhood Hunger in Montana

Katie Wheeler, FoodCorps Service Member -- Kalispell.

Since beginning my FoodCorps service term two years ago, one of my biggest priorities has been working to make the Flathead Valley a more food secure community by increasing the amount of healthy food that is accessible to children.  (Bonus points when the healthy food is local!). 

 1 in 5 children across the state and 2 in 5 in the Flathead struggle with hunger.  The No Kid Hungry campaign puts it simply, “That child who doesn’t have enough to eat isn’t going to do as well in school, and is likely to get sick more often.  She’s less likely to graduate from high school and go on to college, which will have a negative impact on her economic future.  If this happens, then twenty years from now, she’s much less likely to be able to earn enough to feed her family.”

During a FoodCorps Montana training in February 2012, I had a conversation with Katie Bark, the Project Director of Montana Team Nutrition Program out of Bozeman.  I expressed my interested in food security issues, which prompted Katie to invite me to attend a Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger (MT-PECH) committee meeting in Helena. 

This meeting also happened to coincide with the launch of the No Kid Hungry campaign in Montana through a partnership with the former Governor Brian Schweitzer, the Department of Public Health and Human Services, and Share Our Strength.  This launch and the meeting that followed opened up my service to a whole new set of information, support, and guidance in the fight to end childhood hunger.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to join the MT-PECH committee, and couldn’t be more proud to represent Kalispell Public Schools and FoodCorps.  At that first meeting, I was introduced to a document we are working on entitled “10 Steps to End Childhood Hunger in Montana.”  Each step has goals, a 2010 baseline, and a 2013 benchmark, as well as a 2015 benchmark.  The document really helps me to see how closely FoodCorps service is connected to food security work.  Facets of many FoodCorps members' service are included among some of the steps, for instance:

Step 1: Provide a nutrient-rich breakfast for all school children

Step 3: Expand the reach of the Summer Food Service Program

Step 5:  Guarantee that all eligible families have access to public food programs (such as the National School Lunch Program and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program)

Step 6:  Increase access for families to healthy, affordable, locally grown food

Step 9:  Offer nutrition education to children and families on making smart food choices and active lifestyles

                                             Step                                Goals                            2010 Baseline           2013 Benchmark      2015 Benchmark

But the big news is that for the past year we have been planning the Build a Stronger Montana: End Childhood Hunger statewide summit, taking place September 23^rd-24^th at Montana State University.  A primary goal of the summit is to showcase best practices in communities across Montana that address child hunger.  We will do this through hosting a variety of speakers from across the state, providing opportunities to network, and facilitating discussions to give individuals and groups the resources they need to take action in their communities.

We also have quite the list of special guests and presenters!  For example, Governor Steve Bullock will provide the opening message and Montana’s First Lady, Lisa Bullock, will speak to raise awareness about hunger in Montana and provide a great understanding of the serious implications the issue has on health and our economy.  And thanks to a connection provided by FoodCorps’ wonderful Communications Director, Jerusha Klemperer, our keynote speaker is Lori Silverbush, co-director of the documentary A Place at the Table!

On the evening of September 23^rd, MT-PECH is co-sponsoring a screening of the film with the Bozeman Community Food Co-op and the Bozeman Film Festival!  The screening will take place at the Emerson’s Crawford Theater at 7pm.  Following the film, Lori Silverbush and husband Tom Colicchio, producer of the film, chef/owner of Craft Restaurants, and and Emmy-nominated “Top Chef” judge, will participate in a panel discussion.

Please join us in the fight to end childhood hunger in Montana!  Extend this invitation to your staff, colleagues, family, friends, and networks because together we can build a stronger Montana.

Visit https://tofu.msu.montana.edu/cs/childhunger2013/ to register and for more information.  Early Bird registration is available until August 14^th!

Post Script: The passion to end childhood hunger runs in the family. My brother, Andrew, shot this PSA for No Kid Hungry last Thanksgiving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnTo4vTjJtM 

FoodCorps Montana Grows Healthy Kids and Communities

Lea Howe is the FoodCorps Fellow in Montana.

School’s out for summer, but FoodCorps AmeriCorps Members are busier than ever, helping to grow healthy kids and communities across Montana.

Camille McGoven dishes up local beef and school garden
greens for the Boulder Summer Feeding Program.

At summer farm camp in Red Lodge, kids are--literally--singing the praises of beets. In Kalispell and Ronan, FoodCorps makes sure that summer doesn’t result in kids going hungry, supporting summer feeding programs with supplies of healthy, local food. In Missoula, nearly 300 community members recently enjoyed a school lunch, (for dinner!) through a fundraiser called Try the Tray. In Bozeman, Boulder and Billings, vibrant summer programs ensure that even while on break, students can still enjoy the peak of school garden bounty.

Altogether, since August 2012, Montana’s 10 service members have led hands-on gardening and nutrition education activities with 7,681 children. They’ve harvested over 2,312 pounds of produce for school and summer program meals, and incorporated 15,593 pounds of healthy, local foods into school lunch programs.

Students in Ennis prepare a tasty salad snack from
their school garden.

The students are loving it. During a smoothie lesson at Lowell Elementary in Missoula, one young student exclaimed, “If this class were a video game, this would be a bonus level!”

In September, we’ll welcome a new FoodCorps team to start another school year, and, just like the kids, we’ll be back in the classrooms, making every day--and every meal--an opportunity for eating healthy food and supporting Montana’s agriculture. Bonus level, indeed.