In 2025, Monadnock Grown Coalition launched a new Farm to Cafeteria work group to connect parents, administrators, and stakeholders interested in getting farm-fresh food onto the plates of students throughout the Monadnock Region.
Since then, schools across the region have been leading the way to bring more local food into their cafeterias.
Much of the region’s local food reaches schools, hospitals, and institutions through Food Connects, a Brattleboro-based nonprofit food hub.
Food Connects aggregates and delivers food from regional farms and producers to buyers across southeast Vermont, southwest New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts, making it easier for schools to bring local food into their cafeterias while supporting local farmers.
In 2025, the Cornucopia Project was awarded a $100,000 New England Food Vision Prize from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation to launch “Bringing the Farm to School with Cornucopia Project,” a two-year initiative to strengthen farm-to-school connections in 11 rural New Hampshire towns. The program connects student farmers, local growers, and school food service teams across the ConVal and Jaffrey-Rindge districts to increase the use of locally grown food in school cafeterias, benefitting more than 3,500 students and families. Partners include the National Center for Appropriate Technology Northeast, which provides training and technical support in sustainable food production, marketing, and procurement.
In 2025, the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union (WNESU) Farm to School program in Brattleboro, VT, transitioned away from corporate food contractors in favor of a locally operated, scratch-cooking model led by Keene resident Harley Sterling. This approach bypasses corporate models and partners with regional hubs to serve fresh, seasonal food from local farms.
Federal grant program supporting farm-to-cafeteria initiatives in schools nationwide.
Join the Monadnock Grown Coalition’s Farm to Cafeteria listserv to receive the latest information on grants and resources for school teams.