Local Food for Schools
What is Local Food for Schools?
The Local Food for Schools (LFS) is funding for states to assist in the supply chain disruption brought on by the pandemic. The Nebraska Department of Education received nearly $1.5 million through the LFS program to distribute to eligible schools, explicitly to be used on the purchase of local foods for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP). LFS will strengthen Nebraska’s food system by helping to build a fair, competitive, and resilient local food chain, and expand local and regional markets with an emphasis on purchasing from historically underserved producers and processors.
When will funds be made available?
The NDE has confirmed the amount of funds available to eligible schools for participation in the LFS program during school year 2023-2024. Additional funds will be made available to eligible schools for use during the first half of the 2024-2024 school year.
Which schools will be eligible to receive funding?
Schools must participate in the USDA National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and be in good standing. Additionally, must be located in the four eastern Nebraska Economic Development Districts.
In order to receive Local Food for Schools funds, it is REQUIRED that eligible schools participate in LFS training. If you were unable to watch the live LFS webinar, please take time to watch the recording, and/or review the slide deck below. Once completed, a certificate of completion may be filled out to store with your SFAs professional standards.
Resources
MarketMaker is a database featuring a diverse community of food-related businesses: buyers, farmers/ranchers, fisheries, farmers markets, processors/packers, and more. MarketMaker provides simple yet powerful search tools to connect with others across the production and distribution chain, and is a great resource for connecting schools to local produce. Learn more and register at: https://ne.foodmarketmaker.com
Are you interested in being included in updates with development of the Nebraska Farm to School Network? Are you a producer and/or distributor interested in being engaged with schools participating in the Local Food for Schools Program and funding stream? If so, click on the button below and let us know of your interests, just 1-2 minutes of your time is needed.
You may also contact us as:
NDE – Local Food For Schools
NDE.LFS@nebraska.gov
(402) 471-2488