GORHAM, Maine — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Maine Tuesday, lauding the state's school meal programs and promising help from the Biden administration after districts worked overtime to feed kids during the pandemic.
After touring Gorham Middle School, Vilsack called Maine the “mecca” for supporting farmers and connecting them with schools.
He announced $50 million from the American Rescue Plan would go to U.S. school districts to buy cooking equipment so students and faculty can make meals from scratch. That plan is part of a White House National Strategy on hunger, nutrition, and health, released in September.
"Sometimes, it can be tough for school districts, as tight as school budgets can be, to be able to afford that equipment," Vilsack said, while standing in the school's garden. "So, we want to continue to be a good partner at USDA with schools like Gorham here."
Gorham Middle School teacher and 2020 Maine Teacher of the Year, Heather Whitaker, told Vilsack she planted the school's first garden 19 years prior. The school donates, on average, 1,000 pounds of food to the city's food pantry each year, while some of the produce is brought inside so students can learn to cook the food they planted.
"Ours is only one example of the many amazing school gardens across our state," Whitaker smiled.
Cooking meals from scratch is something many schools across the country just can't do, as their equipment is limited to reheating frozen foods.
While some schools work to grow food in on-campus gardens, Vilsack stressed the importance of establishing relationships with local farms, which would benefit all involved.
Ben Whalen is a co-owner of Bumbleroot Organic Farm in Windham and was a guest on Tuesday's tour.
"By supporting school efforts to purchase food from local farms, we’re investing in our local economies, forging strong community ties, and building more resilient, local food systems," he said. "All while supporting the health of the next generation."
It’s going to take more investment, more tending before farm-to-table at school means a quick walk outside. But, in Gorham and elsewhere in Maine, they believe they’re on their way.