FoodCorps Partners 2021-22

Below you will find detailed descriptions for confirmed service sites located in Massachusetts. Each description includes details about the community where the service site is based,the overall work and mission of the organization, and what an incoming service member can expect to do on a day-to-day basis at this site. There is always a possibility of these sites changing, so please reach out with any specific questions to [email protected]! We hope this document will help you to best determine where you are most interested in serving!

Index: 1. Healthy Chelsea (Chelsea, MA) 2. Mill City Grows- Lowell Public Schools (Lowell, MA) 3. Springfield Public Schools (Springfield, MA) 4. Marion Institute (New Bedford, MA) 5. (Holyoke, MA) 6. Boston

1 Healthy Chelsea Chelsea- Food Education Service Member

Community Description: Chelsea is a small and vibrant community just north of Boston. It is a very dense urban area with many challenges, but far greater opportunities, and people who are resilient and dedicated to making life in Chelsea better for all. It is culturally and ethnically rich with many different nationalities. For generations, the city has been a landing site for new immigrant communities. Today, it is home to immigrant and refugee communities from Central America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The city is majority Latinx, and more than two-thirds of Chelsea community members are Spanish-speaking. Chelsea has wonderful parks and open spaces, public transportation to Boston, and unique restaurants and stores. The city is surrounded by water, but has minimal public waterfront access--community partners working toward environmental justice are fighting to change that.

Site Description: Healthy Chelsea is a community coalition, supported by Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Community Healthy Improvement (CCHI), with a mission to improve the health outcomes of Chelsea residents. The coalition formed in 2010 as an initiative of the MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center and initially focused on healthy eating and active living in the schools and community. Its focus has since widened to include substance use disorders and trauma-informed care. Healthy Chelsea works on projects in all areas of the community, but one of the strongest partnerships is with the . Healthy Chelsea collaborates with the school department and individual schools to create and foster a culture of health and wellness. This is done through school garden programming and education, school food improvement, cafeteria taste tests, youth-led food justice initiatives, and promotion of physical activity in the classroom.

Service Activities Description: Early Learning Center- The ELC has a 3-year-old garden, a 1-year-old indoor garden space, and a team of admin and staff that is especially committed to health and wellness. The service member helps coordinate planting activities for the outdoor and indoor gardens, supports Harvest of the Month lessons and tastings in classrooms during and after school, and leads garden-based lessons for the summer program. Berkowitz Elementary School - The FoodCorps service member teaches a 12-lesson series to all 2nd grade classes over the course of the year. These lessons meet ELA, math, and science standards. There are also monthly Harvest of the Month tastings in the school's cafeteria, which the service member leads, and regular cafeteria presence promoting different vegetables or entrees.

2 Hooks- The FoodCorps service member teaches a 12-lesson series to all 2nd grade classes over the course of the year. These lessons meet ELA, math, and science standards. There are also monthly Harvest of the Month tastings in the school's cafeteria, which the service member leads, and regular cafeteria presence promoting different vegetables or entrees. Kelly - The FoodCorps service member teaches a 12-lesson series to all 2nd grade classes over the course of the year. These lessons meet ELA, math, and science standards. There are also monthly Harvest of the Month tastings in the school's cafeteria, which the service member leads, and regular cafeteria presence promoting different vegetables or entrees. (potentially) Sokolowski - The FoodCorps service member teaches a 12-lesson series to all 2nd grade classes over the course of the year. These lessons meet ELA, math, and science standards. There are also monthly Harvest of the Month tastings in the school's cafeteria, which the service member leads, and regular cafeteria presence promoting different vegetables or entrees.

Skills, Interest, Knowledge Preferences: Cultural competency in working with immigrant communities, familiarity with gardening in New England

Helpful Languages: Spanish, Somali, Arabic

Service Members Need Car? Very helpful

3 Mill City Grows- Lowell Public Schools Lowell- School Nutrition Service Member

Community Description : Lowell is a mid-sized, post-industrial city with a population of a little over 109,000 residents. Lowell was the birthplace of American Industry and has beautiful mills that were once home to textile manufacturing. Our city is split by the Merrimack River, which once powered the mills. Today our community is extremely diverse and our culture, food, and festivals reflect the many people that call Lowell home. Lowell is a wonderful place to live, work, and play. We have tons of art galleries, amazing restaurants for any budget, and numerous free festivals each year. If you love being outdoors, the Riverwalk and the Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest are great places for walking, hiking, and biking. The Merrimack and Concord rivers are great places to paddle around and see a different side of the city. We are just 35 miles from Boston, which is accessible by train from Lowell. Lowell is also within a 45 minute drive to the coast or the mountains. We are ideally situated for easy access to recreation of all kinds. A car is preferred for service at this site.

Organization Description: Mill City Grows fosters food justice by improving physical health, economic independence, and environmental sustainability in Lowell through increased access to land, locally-grown food, and education. Mill City Grows creates and manages school and community gardens, grows produce on three urban farms, trains gardeners, provides food and nutrition education to Lowell Public School students, and increases access to local food. Mill City Grows has installed 14 school gardens within the Lowell Public School District. Lowell Public Schools (LPS) educates more than 14,000 students in grades PreK -12 each year. In an average year student participation in LPS's school meals program is 78% for lunch and 60% for breakfast. LPSFNS’s overall 2019-2020 food costs were $2.3 million and local procurement accounts for approximately 30.3% of all food cost, and 23.7% of all produce costs.

Service Activities Description: The close partnership that exists between Lowell Public Schools Food and Nutrition Program and Mill City Grows will allow FoodCorp members to work cohesively on district wide initiatives that support the district's Farm to School Strategic Plan. This includes: supporting hands-on Food Service Farm to School trainings, creating promotion including farm videos, cooking videos and food service spotlights, recipe development with local products and student, teacher and family engagement to increase morale and collect feedback on the school meal program. Additionally, FoodCorp members will provide garden support and

4 coordination amongst the district's 15 school school gardens by working closely with each schools' leadership team (comprised of administrators, teachers, school support staff, and parents) and in conjunction with Mill City Grows Education Coordinator. FoodCorp members will also have one "home-base" school where they provide programming and classroom education through approximately 3, 5-week sessions of FoodCorp curriculum in the classroom during the school year. Lastly, FoodCorp members will have the opportunity to opt into 1-2 additional food justice and/or food access projects currently underway in Lowell -- whether that is co-managing a monthly school district food bank that services 250 families; working on Mill City Grows' production farm; helping teach Farm to Table Family Cooking Classes or hosting food/nutrition workshops with community partners.

Skills, Interest, Knowledge Preferences: Mill City Grows/Lowell Public Schools is looking for service members who are passionate about food justice, food service and teaching as well as eager and open-minded to any tasks that come their way. It would be wonderful (though not required) to have Service Members with a background in food production and previous experience working with children K-4. We would also love candidates with an interest in growing and cooking with culturally-appropriate crops that reflect the diverse population of Lowell Public Schools. Familiarity with New England and Lowell specifically is also a plus!

Helpful Languages: Spanish, Khmer, Arabic, Swahili, Portuguese, Burmese

Service Members Need Car? Required

5 Springfield Public Schools Springfield- Food Education Service Member

Community Description Springfield is a city in western Massachusetts, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern Mill River.

There are 60 schools in Springfield Public Schools serving nearly 26,000 students.

Springfield Public Schools district, which is comprised of a high percentage of children of color, who are disproportionately impacted by food insecurity. In the Springfield Public Schools district, 65% of students are Hispanic, 19.5% are Black, and 77% are economically disadvantaged.

FoodCorps members will engage an incredibly diverse group of students, parents, staff and community through their service in 1-2 high-need elementary schools.

Organization Description The Springfield Public Schools are world class learning environments that produce 21st century leaders. Our students will graduate from high school College and Career ready. The school district attracts knowledgeable, highly effective and diverse teachers and principals who want to work in a high performing district. Parents and community members are moving into Springfield for the privilege of sending their students to schools that are thriving in A Culture of Equity and Proficiency.

Our school system is large and diverse, with approximately 26,000 students, about 4,000 employees, and nearly 60 schools. Along with strong basic skills programs, enrichment and extracurricular activities also add depth and scope to the overall educational program. Our curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all?not just some?of our students.

Service Activities Description As Springfield Public School district continues its transformation of the school meal program, FoodCorps service members will help engage families in the meal program improvements through community events and schoolwide communications, capture and integrate student voice in menus, and create cafeteria environments that celebrate and encourage healthy choices. Springfield has invested in school gardens, added garden

6 programming, and created high school employment opportunities to bolster the connections between students and the food that they are eating at school.

FoodCorps service members will support the District goals to increase student and community engagement in the district?s meal programs in the following ways: ● Hands-on Education: Ongoing weekly and bi-weekly lessons in both classroom and garden spaces with 1-2 district elementary schools. ● Raising Student Voice in Menus: Create the feedback loops necessary to connect data and information from taste tests and sample surveys to District level FNS ● Increased Cultural Relevance: Service members taste test new menu options to gauge student approval rating and survey students to understand what foods they want to see on their trays. ● Changing Attitudes about School Meals: FoodCorps service members bring enthusiasm and excitement about healthy foods, new menu items, and school meals to the schools, shifting the common perception about school food. ● Cafeteria Look and Feel: Small but important enhancements to the look and feel of the cafeterias through menu boards, posters, murals, table toppers, etc.

Service Members Need Car? Required

7 Marion Institute & Grow Education New Bedford- Food Education Service Member

Site Description: Our mission is to engage individuals and communities in a whole-body approach to health. Through education, we empower individuals to learn how to connect and apply the science of self-healing. We are committed to building a culture of holistic community health, environmental resilience and social justice. We work collaboratively with stakeholders to develop scalable solutions that take targeted action in our communities. Our Grow Southcoast programming addresses health-related issues by creating and implementing programs, like Grow Education, that increase access to nutrient-rich foods, supports immune-building practices, and promotes environmental resiliency. For over eight years, Grow Education has been successfully partnering with the New Bedford School district to create school and community gardens. Food Corps members will support and deepen our school wide culture of health by assisting us with our expanded Farm to School programming and evaluation.

Site Community Description: The city of New Bedford’s low-income, immigrant and refugee population is in dire need of increased access to healthy food. Historically an Azorean, Portuguese and Cape Verdean community, New Bedford is quickly becoming home to a growing Central American population, comprised of Guatemalan, Honduran and El Salvadoran immigrants and refugees. According to the New Bedford Public School data from 2018-19, Hispanic students represented 40.3% of the population, compared to 21% across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. These communities struggle with the health and social challenges associated with poverty, including language and transportation barriers. Over 20% of the population in New Bedford lives in a household that does not own a vehicle, this percentage is even higher in some gateway immigration neighborhoods. This translates to reliance on corner stores and fast food for groceries and meals. For many students, their school meals are their only opportunity to enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables.

Site Service Activities Description The FoodCorps members serving in New Bedford will be building upon the work that the Grow Education and Farm to School project has initiated. This has encompassed; the building of a garden at each school with the school community, planting and harvesting workshops in those gardens, and presentations by local leaders related to local

8 agriculture, fresh, healthy foods and the environmental connections. They will be participating in growing the partnership with the Food Service Department and the Farm to School Coalition which has begun taste tests of fresh fruits and vegetables, new and healthy meal sides, and the planning for healthy, culturally relevant menu items. This partnership will be organized with the Food Service Assistant Director and Nutritionist who will be able to communicate about menu items and changes. The FoodCorps members will be a part of this process and will also help plan district wide taste tests and evaluation that accompanies this rollout. Additionally, FoodCorps members will be introduced to the specific school community members in which they will be stationed, including the cafeteria managers and 3rd grade teacher cohorts at each school. Members will benefit from the relationships with (and knowledge of) these teachers in order to plan for the Hands-on Learning requirements. These learning activities will take place both in the classroom and gardens. Garden workshops will be supplemented through supply sourcing and the experience and credibility of the Grow Education program team. Grow Education has also begun to create schoolwide Farm to School coalitions who could support the Food Corps members in steps needed to build the Schoolwide Culture of health. The Marion Institute will be in consistent planning and communications with the members to shift the cultural expectations.

Site Commitment to EDI: New Bedford is a diverse city with a high need population. Grow Education has used the 12 gardens built across the schools as a platform to connect across cultures, using food as a common thread. We have experienced the empowerment of students and their families who have an agricultural background and can share skills and experience with teachers. We also have worked to expand our program strategically within the areas of highest need, and put in efforts to orient our programming to cultures unique to those neighborhoods.

Knowing both the value of accenting diversity and sharing culture, as well as the strained resources of high needs schools, we will put value on local and culturally relevant recruitment and selection of our members. We are consistently amazed at what we learn as an organization through working with community partners, and learning from the diverse experiences of students and their families during our programming. This is an important aspect to the success of our program and Farm to School project implementation.

We have consistently challenged ourselves to create accessible materials and outreach to culture and language. We understand that not everyone has access to technology, and have had success in partnership with the schools in getting information to families. Teachers have been

9 our best gatekeeper to engage students and families. Building upon these relationships and communication networks will be an important aspect of our members work, and support that the Marion Institute will provide to members.

Languages helpful to service: Spanish

Vehicle required? Helpful but not required

10 Holyoke Public Schools Holyoke- Food Education Service Member

Site Community Description: Holyoke is a post- industrial city of approximately 40,000 community members. Built along the Connecticut River in order to power multiple mills, the city was planned and built to support class stratification between the workers and owners of the mills. This class stratification has continued to this day, with several distinct neighborhoods which are differentiated by income and well as racial identify. Around 25% of the households in Holyoke have incomes below the federal poverty line, and the city has the highest per-capita rate of SNAP benefit recipients in the commonwealth.

The differing identities of the neighborhoods and the under-served community at large does create tension between the historically marginalized Latinx community of Holyoke and the empowered mid-to-upper income white population. It is imperative that our city schools meet these challenges with socially-minded, critically conscious educational experiences.

Within the city, there are parks and mountains to hike and explore, as well as an innovation and improvement district which has seen unprecedented investment in the most underserved communities in Holyoke. The arts and business landscape is continually changing, becoming more inclusive, and, like Nuestras Raices (a local non-profit farming organization) more socially just.

Site Description: The mission of Holyoke Public schools is: "To be the first educational choice for Holyoke families by designing multiple pathways of excellence where all students graduate prepared to excel in college, career and in community leadership.".

The work of FoodCorps in the educational realm will directly support the academic achievement of our students, as the integration of hands-on, outdoor learning into the science and broader curriculum resides within best practice for holistic teaching.

Additionally, as we work to promote our students as community leaders, we cannot ignore that most of our students live in "food deserts" and lack sustained access to nutritious foods. By educating students about food and nutrition, as well as empowering them with the skills or familiarly with food growing techniques, we can equip them to support and leverage their skills for food sovereignty and community food-growing support in the future.

11 Site Activities: Our primary goal through FoodCorps is to connect students with gardening and food-growing education with a strong connection to the science curriculum. Service members would develop and be the primary caretakers (or care coordinators) of a school garden, and provide educational hands-on experiences in and out of the classroom.

As we work to holistically reach each child, the nutrition education and food exploration activities will play an important role in making sure our students have the tools and means to lead healthy lives.

Skills, Interest, Knowledge Preferences: A commitment to working with underserved youth of color in a trauma-informed, highly motivated work environment, as well as the ability to be flexible, become part of a community and a community of educators, and to help cultivate and harvest joy for our very deserving students.

Helpful Languages: Spanish

12 Boston School Nutrition Service Member- Stay tuned for more information!

13