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

Vermont intends to use its localfood for schools cooperative agreement allocation to support school foodauthorities in purchasing local food from vermont's network ofnon-profit food hubs. Vermont's non-profit food hubs workcollaboratively to aggregate locally grown and produced products fromvermont producers and distribute those products throughout the state andregion. This opportunity will help the food hubs both strengthenexisting relationships and foster new ones with schools who have yet toutilize food hubs. Local food for schools funds will be divided equallyamong vermont school food authorities using a formula based on studentenrollment. Each school food authority will be paired with a food hub intheir region and the value of their allotment will be provided to themin the form of credit at their assigned food hub. Food hub sales staffwill work with each school food authorities to help them navigate theprocurement process, ensuring each school can easily utilize theirallotted funds and can readily identify those products produced bysocially disadvantaged farmers. Food hubs, which have the ability tosource identify all the products they carry, will provide detailedreporting demonstrating the impact of local food for schools funds onthe producers they support, including how many socially disadvantagedproducers benefit and how many small businesses. Quarterly performancereports will be submitted to capture the number of producers, smallbusinesses and socially disadvantaged farmers and producers, dollarvalue of purchases, and type of food purchased. Annual reports willprovide percentages of new marketing opportunities established bypurchasing from local and regional farmers and producers, sociallydisadvantaged farmers and producers, and small businesses. This projecthas the potential to impact 101 vermont food producers, 100 of which aresmall businesses and 45 can be classified as socially disadvantaged. These producers are growing, raising or producing products that schoolsregularly purchase for their meal programs. By distributing fundsequally based on enrollment numbers, we hope to get locally grown andraised food in front of as many vermont students as possible. Therecipient plans to subaward funds to vermont food hubs.