Happy New Year! With colder weather, it can be hard to think about the local bounty from Massachusetts farms.

But this is a great time to highlight fantastic storage crops like butternut squash and sweet potatoes and think beyond produce to items that are available year-round like dairy and seafood.

… This month we’re highlighting many great learning opportunities to take advantage of this winter to prepare for farm to school success when spring arrives!

Sea to School Case Studies Released

Mass. Farm to School worked with Farm to Institution New England (FINE) to create a six-part series to look at how institutions are incorporating locally caught seafood into their meals. These case studies highlight three higher education institutions,two K-12 schools, and one hospital and provide lessons to those looking to develop a local seafood program. … In Massachusetts, see how Harvard University, Gloucester High School, and Boston Medical Center have incorporated a variety of delicious, local seafood into their menus and are supporting New England fishermen and fishing communities.

Harvest of the Month: Summer Program and Evaluation 

Harvest of the Month sign-up for summer food service sponsors is now open! … Sign-up for the school year and year-round programs will be available soon!

Get up to $12,500/School to Launch a Breakfast in the Classroom Program

Eos Foundation is offering single-year grant awards of up to $12,500 per school for those interested in rolling out Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) in school year 2016-2017.

Districts have the opportunity to apply for larger multi-year grants to implement BIC in multiple schools.

Submit your intent to apply by February 4, 2016.

High Rates of Breakfast Participation at Your School? Your School Could Win $500!

Eos Foundation is offering $500 awards to schools in Massachusetts that reach and maintain for at least two months 80% or higher participation in the school breakfast program in the 2015-2016 school year. Applications are due February 23, 2016, by 5 pm. School Principals, in partnership with their district Food Service Director, are invited to apply. …

For more information, please call Eos at 508-430-8130508-430-8130.

CLICK HERE for more info and to visit the MASS FARM TO SCHOOL website.