Purchase local food targetingpurchases from small businesses and socially disadvantaged farmers andranchers, for distribution to schools

The rhode island department ofeducation will subcontract with farm fresh rhode island to implement themajority of the activities associated with meeting the objectives of thelocal food for schools project. Rhode island department of educationwill, in turn, work with existing partners to ensure that sociallydisadvantaged farmers are included in the planning and implementation ofthe project, that produce is aggregated and distributed in a safe andefficient manner, and that all outcomes are measured, evaluated andreported on. Use of rhode island department of education market mobileplatform will also ensure the inclusion of small businesses as allvendors aggregated through the platform meet agriculture marketingservice's "small business" definition. School food authorities that arenot able to reasonably partner with farm fresh rhode island for thedistribution of food items and/or school food authorities that can makea compelling case for using local food for schools funds to support existing or developing relationships with socially disadvantaged producers and/or small businesses will be given the opportunity tosubmit sub-grant applications for a predetermined allocation of funding.quarterly performance reports will be submitted to capture the number ofproducers, small businesses and socially disadvantaged farmers andproducers, dollar value of purchases, and type of food purchased. Annualreports will provide percentages of new marketing opportunitiesestablished by purchasing from local and regional farmers and producers, socially disadvantaged farmers and producers, and small businesses.beneficiaries on the producer side include a combination local andsocially disadvantaged farmers and processors as well as smallbusinesses with existing relationships and purchase histories viasourcing, aggregation, and distribution activities on the part of farmfresh rhode island. Beneficiaries on the recipient side will becomprised of up to 81 national school lunch program sponsors, servicingapproximately 387 school-based sites; this list represents the state'sentire approved national school lunch program sponsor pool, serving, onaverage, over 76,000 lunches to rhode island's children and youth perday. The recipient plans to subaward funds to farm fresh rhode islandand directly to schools.