Fanisa gives a thumbs up to a Mutsu apple!
Lowell – Lowell Community Charter Public School is pleased to announce they have received $28,905.00 in MA FRESH grant funding from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Office for Food and Nutrition Programs.
The third round of the state-funded, competitive MA FRESH (Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health) grant has awarded $1.2 million to 24 school districts and 10 early education and care programs across the Commonwealth to support local food and local food education in schools.
This year’s MA FRESH projects were made possible with food literacy funding in the Massachusetts state budget. This funding enables schools and early education sites to purchase and prepare more locally grown Massachusetts food, invest in farm to school efforts, and provide students with experiential learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom.
Nicholas Leonardos, Executive Director, stated, “We are thrilled to receive this funding, enabling us to expand our farm to school programming. This will strengthen our commitment to the well-being of our students and the communities we serve.”
Robert Gignac, Chief Operating Officer, added, “This grant reinforces what we believe at LCCPS, that healthy minds are supported by healthy bodies, and that learning extends far beyond the classroom walls. Through our partnership with Mill City Grows, we are excited to provide students with hands-on experiences that build lifelong habits around nutrition, curiosity, and wellness. We are grateful for this investment in our students and community, and we look forward to the meaningful impact it will have in the year ahead.”
The MA FRESH grant will enable Lowell Community Charter Public School (LCCPS) to expand its partnership with Mill City Grows (MCG) Agricultural Education Collaborative to deepen students’ connection to the local food system through education and community engagement during the 2025-2026 school year. The main components of the 2025-2026 collaborative will include monthly food tastings during lunch to increase students awareness of and appreciation for new fruits and vegetables; an after-school agricultural club that will include instruction on nutrition and how it relates to overall health, field trips to the Mill City Grows farm and kitchen, growing vegetables in an indoor garden, cooking classes, and a culminating event at which students will share their knowledge of what constitutes a healthy diet and lifestyle; and during-the-school-day nutrition classes for students in grades pre-k through first grade.
Calvin’s favorite apple was the Pink Lady!
“We are delighted to see a diversity of programs and communities receive funding to further food education opportunities, enhance school meals highlighting local foods, and establish food literacy programs in schools. We are thankful for our Massachusetts Legislators and the Healey-Driscoll Administration for making these funds available to schools and childcare centers across the Commonwealth to do this important work. We see emerging and vibrant educational and meal programs tapping into this innovative funding to support the kind of farm to school programming we envision for every community in the Commonwealth.” Simca Horwitz, Co-Director of Massachusetts Farm to School, stated.
Advocates are still working to establish a permanent farm to school MA FRESH Grant program in Massachusetts to provide ongoing support for the infrastructure investments, staff training, and educational initiatives that lead to farm to school program success and sustainability.
During a nutrition lesson presented by Mill City Grows, kindergarten students in Mrs. Kelly’s class, Briella, Calvin, and Giana, were excited to take home bags containing one each of the three kinds of apples they tasted, Pink Lady, Suncrisp, and Mutsu, as well as a recipe for apple nachos.
