South Portland Schools are working with multiple local organizations to increase accessibility to local foods in their school meals program. Many of your students may have recently sampled meals that include products developed by our partners. For example, a fish parmesan made with Graffam Brother’s flounder cakes was served topped with locally sourced Maine Marinara Sauce. The fish cake is part of a couple larger projects that the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) and Gulf of Maine Research Institute are working together on to increase access to local seafood in school cafeterias. In addition to tasting these delicious menu items, students are learning about sustainable seafood in the classroom with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s curriculum.
The Maine Marinara Sauce is produced by the Maine Farm and Sea Cooperative (MFSC) and the Second Harvest Partnership utilizing vegetable “seconds” that would otherwise be discarded to create tasty sauces and other products. MFSC also provided hearty greens for a recent menu special. Collard greens and kale are frequently used by our immigrant communities and are now available from local farms. The mixed greens were served with baked flounder made available through MCFA’s Fishermen Feeding Mainers program which donates free fish filets to Maine schools. All of this has been made possible through the amazing hard work of South Portland’s dining staff along with our FoodCorps member. We hope you will take a moment to ask your students about their experiences sampling these local products and learning more about where they come from.