2022 Prize Winners

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (ME), in collaboration with Portland Public Schools and Westbrook Public Schools, was awarded $170,900 to develop a holistic approach to building demand for and increasing consumption of New England seafood in K-12 schools. Utilizing local seafood, project partners will develop shareable, culturally diverse seafood recipes, train staff on how and why to serve local seafood, and develop a seafood- focused curriculum to connect the cafeteria to the classroom.

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Building Processing Capacity to Maximize Equitable Local Sourcing

Vital Communities (VT), in collaboration with Global Village Foods, the University of Vermont, and the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success, was awarded $199,929 to develop a regional farm ingredient sourcing supply channel that supports the significant growth that Global Village Foods is anticipating for their allergy-friendly, culturally-relevant, ready-to-eat meals into institutional food service channels and beyond.

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CLiCK Food Hub Expansion

CLiCK, Inc (CT), in collaboration with EastCONN, was awarded $199,856 to support the expansion of processing infrastructure at CLiCK, the only food hub in Eastern Connecticut. EastCONN, a public, nonprofit, regional education service center will partner with CLiCK to purchase products with no minimum weight requirement from local farmers, to process and package on-site for distribution to their educational sites throughout Connecticut.

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Expanding Locally-Grown, Frozen Broccoli Distribution to Educational Institutions Throughout New England

The Good Shepherd Food Bank (ME), in partnership with Sodexo, Native Maine, WR Allen, and Jasper Wyman & Son, was awarded $200,000 to support the sales and marketing efforts of its Harvesting Good line of products, improving access to nutritious food for people experiencing food insecurity and strengthening regional food systems by strengthening the food processing infrastructure in the Northeast.

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Expanding Local Produce Served in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom Institutions

The Center for an Agricultural Economy (VT), in collaboration with the Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union, the Caledonia Central Supervisory Union, Dartmouth College, and other higher education and healthcare institutional partners, was awarded $125,000 to bridge the market gap between local farms and regional institutions, bringing their “Just Cut” program to full operational capacity and resulting in an additional 30,000 pounds of local produce processed annually and served in regional institutions.

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Food Hubs for Schools: Catalyzing New Local Food Supply Chains

Massachusetts Farm to School (MA), in collaboration with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, was awarded $149,500 to catalyze new purchasing of regionally grown and harvested food, significantly altering the farm to school supply chain landscape across the Commonwealth. Together, they will support a network of regional food hubs and farms to provide all eligible K-12 public schools in Massachusetts with locally grown, caught, and produced foods and build systems to bring lasting impact, leveraging a one-time infusion of USDA federal funds for local food purchases.

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Good for the Gut: Bringing Local Organic Pre-Cooked Black Beans to the University of Vermont Dining and Medical Center

NOFA-VT (VT), the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, in partnership with Vermont Bean Crafters, the University of Vermont, and Sodexo, was awarded $168,034 to increase institutional purchasing of Vermont-grown, pre-cooked, frozen, organic beans. Prize funding will go towards greater storage and processing capacity and other market developments, allowing Vermont Bean Crafters to aggregate, dry, and store beans from various Vermont producers wishing to enter the institutional market.

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Maine Marinara Collaborative

Healthy Communities of the Capital Area (ME), in collaboration with the Maine Farm & Sea Cooperative, Maine Food Group, and Isuken Cooperative, was awarded $200,000 for the Maine Marinara Collaborative, bringing together local supply chain partners to deliver a regionally-sourced, Maine-processed marinara product for institutional use.