In partnership with Full Plates Full Potential, Peak Season awarded 25 Maine school districts in 12 counties with a Back to School Kitchen Equipment & Supplies mini-grant up to $4,000 each.
See below for the school districts awarded, the type of equipment and supplies purchased, and how we selected awardees amidst the high needs for support.
School Districts Awarded Funds by County
Androscoggin: Lewiston Public Schools
Aroostook: Connor Consolidated School, Madawaska School Dept RSU 33/MSAD 33, RSU 79/MSAD 01
Cumberland: Westbrook School Dept
Hancock: RSU 24, RSU 25, Deer Isle, Mt Desert Island Regional School System, Ellsworth Public Schools, Kidspeace New England
Knox: RSU 13
Lincoln: RSU 48
Oxford: RSU 56
Penobscot: RSU 89
Piscataquis: School Union 60
Somerset: RSU 74, RSU 83/MSAD 13, MSAD 49, AOS 94, RSU 71, RSU 03
Washington: AOS 96, Cherryfield Public Schools
Equipment & Supplies Funded by the Grant
Over 50% of the school districts awarded purchased food processing and cooking equipment directly tied to increasing the volume of Maine-grown ingredients they can prepare and serve with robot coupes, industrial potato peelers, and chef’s knives to process whole fruits and vegetables to storage containers and food processors to efficiently slice vegetables and properly store them for future use. Another 30% invested in items to build their storage, serving, and sanitation capacity with cold storage, prep tables, and storage containers to effectively serve students locally grown & produced food from the height of harvest through to spring.
Selection Process
The number of applications we received highlighted the need outweighing the resources at hand - pointing to the incredible need for further investment in outfitting schools with the necessary equipment to bring nourishing school meals to their students.
We selected awardees based on:
Impact on Maine-grown foods: Ability of the award to increase a school district’s use of Maine-grown food in school meals through the additional kitchen equipment.
Demonstrated need: Perceived need of free/reduced-price school meals for the student population the school district serves as reported by the Department of Education.
Equity of distribution: Ensure geographic, demographic, and/or programmatic diversity in funding distribution with the goal of reaching a wide variety of schools throughout the state.
As we continue to support schools everyday in getting more Maine grown food, we’ll also be looking to create opportunities to secure the proper tools and equipment to utilize local produce and value added items. You can check out other opportunities here.
