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Belle Plaine, Montezuma awarded food grants
Schools buy from local sources through Choose Iowa Food Purchasing grants
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
DES MOINES – Benton and Poweshiek County schools are among 33 districts that have received grants to participate in the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Program for Schools.
Belle Plaine and Montezuma Community School Districts were chosen to take part in the one-year pilot program that connects Iowa schools with Choose Iowa members, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced last week.
The Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Program for Schools encourages school food service programs to purchase and serve more ingredients and products sourced from local farmers and small businesses.
The pilot program was authorized during the 2024 legislative session and is an initiative of Choose Iowa, the state’s branding and marketing program that identifies and promotes Iowa grown, made, and raised food, beverages and ag products, said Naig in a press release.
The school pilot program has a total budget of $70,000, and each school was eligible to apply for up to $1,000 per school building. Both public and private schools were encouraged to apply.
Selected schools are required to provide a minimum one-to-one financial match. For example, a school receiving $1,000 must provide at least $1,000 from other sources for a total of $2,000 spent on local foods through the pilot program.
Choose Iowa received applications from 61 schools or school districts totaling $158,249, an overall request far exceeding available funding.
Eligible products that can be purchased include meat and poultry, dairy products (other than milk), eggs, honey and produce. Funding for milk is available through a different federal program.
To be eligible for funding through the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot Program, schools must purchase food from a Choose Iowa member. If selected schools wish to purchase from specific Iowa farmers, they should encourage those farmers or businesses to apply to become a Choose Iowa member.
Food hubs that are Choose Iowa members are also eligible for food purchases within the program. Products purchased through food hubs must come from Iowa producers.
