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Denise Liptak, NJ Department of Agriculture
The NJ Division of Food and Nutrition is looking to offer their sponsors a resource list of farmers that are focused on “small, and socially disadvantaged” so they may purchase directly from you!
If you choose to share your contact information with their grantees/ vendors (upon their request), you will have the opportunity to be contacted to provide goods for purchase.
Background:
- The New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Food and Nutrition has been awarded through the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)’s new Local Food for School Cooperative Agreement Program and Local Food Purchasing Agreement Program.
- USDA has awarded over $200 million to states for food assistance purchases of domestic local foods for distribution to schools and Emergency Feeding Organizations (EFOs).
Your part:
- This grant opportunity will allow New Jersey Schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and EFOs to procure local foods that are unique to their geographic area and meet the needs of their program. That’s where you come in!
Benefits:
- In addition to increasing local food consumption, funds are expected to help build and expand economic opportunities for local, small, and socially disadvantaged farmers/ producers.
Requirements:
- All food purchased must be whole, unprocessed or minimally processed and must meet the definition of local, which is defined as domestic products grown and sourced in New Jersey.
- Fall into USDA’s definition of socially disadvantaged:
The definition from the USDA is as follows: Socially disadvantaged as defined by the USDA AMS Local Food for Schools Funding – “socially disadvantaged” is a farmer or rancher who is a member of a Socially Disadvantaged Group. A Socially Disadvantaged Group is a group whose members have been subject to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and, where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program.
If anyone is interested in being added to our list of resources, please do not hesitate to contact me at denise.liptak@ag.nj.gov
Our resources will give the name of the farm, location, contact information, certification info, and crops grown. We are excited at the possibility of making connections throughout New Jersey that can possibly build long term relationships.