Our Food, Our Future
Imagine a food system where all residents have the opportunity participate equitably as consumers - that's our vision.
NEWS FROM MA STATE GOVERNMENT
MASSACHUSETTS IS THE FIRST STATE TO EXTEND PANDEMIC EBT BENEFITS!
EVERY STUDENT ENROLLED IN SPRINGFIELD OR HOLYOKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS ELIGIBLE. FAMILY INCOME DOES NOT MATTER!!!
Massachusetts has become the first state to extend P-EBT benefits through the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.
Families with children enrolled in fully-remote learning models will receive $117 a month per child. Students enrolled in a hybrid-learning model will receive $58 a month each" to be used anywhere SNAP benefits are accepted. Pandemic EBT assistance has provided incredible relief for low-income families with children in school - both hybrid and completely remote learning models. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
BREAKFAST AFTER THE BELL LEGISLATION PASSED, SIGNED INTO LAWWonderful news everyone! Breakfast After The Bell legislation passed yesterday and Governor Baker has signed it into law! Students across Massachusetts now have access to breakfast every day of the week so they can show up energetic and ready to learn.
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Thanks to the many people who have worked on this –including young people who bravely told their stories of hunger, parents, grandparents and others who visited legislators locally and at the Statehouse and Rep. Williams who really dug in on this with the SFPC. And especially school committee member Denise Hurst who helped champion this in Springfield. Our local leaders made it possible across the city for children in Springfield nearly two years ago. I know it has been a long road – but Springfield should be proud that the Springfield Food Policy Council kept up our work, even after our children had access to Breakfast In the Classroom. People of color led the work to ensure that all children in our Commonwealth would not have to start their school day hungry! Springfield families, you model what leadership and justice really looks like!
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Coming Soon SFPC'S 2021 GROW-A-GARDEN Program!
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RESOURCES"WE DON'T FARM BECAUSE IT'S TRENDY; WE FARM AS RESISTANCE, FOR HEALING AND SOVEREIGNTY"
Article by Ashley Gripper, Environmental Health News, May 27, 2020 "For more than 150 years, from the rural South to northern cities, Black people have used farming to build self-determined communities and resist oppressive structures that tear them down." Click the link below to read more on the history of urban growing and Black communities, and how "growing food is a tool for dismantling systemic oppression." DISPROPORTIONATE RACIAL IMPACTS OF COVID-19
"The COVID-19 crisis is hurting all our communities, but not equally. The data that would allow us to document the pandemic’s uneven toll rigorously are incomplete and only now emerging - and it’s already clear that communities of color, including children, once again are on the frontlines of vulnerability." Click the link below to read more and access an up-to-date list of articles and resources documenting this crisis. SEVEN DAYS OF FREE SCHOOL MEALS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS, NO ID REQUIRED
During the school closures prompted by health and safety concerns related to the coronavirus, children enrolled in Springfield Public Schools may pick up a free breakfast, lunch, and dinner at any of the schools listed as distribution sites. On Fridays, they may also pick up additional meals for Saturday and Sunday. Any person 18 or under is eligible for breakfast and lunch pickup. No ID, registration, or address is required. Service is grab-n-go style from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday until school resumes. Students may attend any school they are near; it does not need to be the school where they are enrolled. |
NEWSSpringfield schools expanding meal plan to include dinner
April 6, 2020
You can still get stimulus payments without filing a tax return
April 4, 2020
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We are the Springfield Food Policy Council, an independent body that oversees the coordination of public and private efforts to improve access to nutritious, affordable, culturally appropriate, fresh, and safe foods for all residents of Springfield.
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Find out the location and hours of your nearest farmer's market here.
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Are you an educator interested in starting a school garden? Read this step-by-step guide, which offers important information about how to safely grow your own fruits and vegetables with your students.
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