Together with communities, FoodCorps serves to connects kids to healthy food in school
FoodCorps is a nationwide team of AmeriCorps leaders who collaborate with community partners to make schools healthier places for kids to eat, learn and grow. In underserved communities across the country, our AmeriCorps leaders teach students about healthy food through hands-on lessons, partner with farmers and food service workers to create nutritious and delicious school meals, and collaborate with communities to inspire a long-term culture of health.
All FoodCorps service members implement a 3-step strategy to:
- Deliver hands-on lessons in gardening, cooking and tasting healthy food
- Improve school meals
- Encourage a school-wide culture of health
Healthy food is an essential building block for a full life. But right now, we’ve got a generation of children who are overweight, vulnerable to diet-related disease, and more likely to suffer from a variety of health problems that will hold them back throughout their lifetimes.
- One in three of our nation’s children is on track to develop diabetes in their lifetime. For kids of color, it’s one in two.
- Children and adults who suffer from diet-related diseases score lower on tests, miss more days of school, advance less in their careers, and raise children who are likely to repeat the same cycle.
Vision
We are creating a future in which all our nation’s children––regardless of class, race, or geography––know what healthy food is, care where it comes from, and eat it every day. Through our work, future generations will grow up to lead healthier and more productive lives.
MSU Extension was the state partner organization for the FoodCorps Program in Michigan from July 2012 to July, 2018, and remains in an advisory role for the new FoodCorps Field Office in Michigan. Our statewide MSU Extension network of Community Food Systems educators are trusted resources in their communities engaging in the promotion of sustainable food systems through applied research and outreach programming that improves the access and availability of locally produced food.
FoodCorps is in the process of a multi-year transition to shift their management structure from state partner leadership to establishing FoodCorps field offices in each state. FoodCorps has programs in 18 states, 11 of which are now lead by FoodCorps Field Office teams including OUR state Field Office located in Detroit, MI. As of August 1, 2018, the Michigan FoodCorps Field Office opened with two full time field staff, a Program Director; a Program Coordinator; and a third position, a Development Director will be named in September, 2018.
Contact
To learn more about FoodCorps, check out the blog or contact:
Addell Austin Anderson, MI Program Director
Ana Cristina Cujar, MI Program Coordinator
Kelly Cleaver, MI Director of Philanthropy
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