HealthierUS School Challenge

  The HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) is a voluntary initiative established by the USDA to recognize schools participating in the National School Lunch Program that work to create healthier school environments through nutrition and physical activity. The focus areas to promote healthier school environments include: healthy school breakfasts and lunches, nutrition education and physical education, and opportunities […]

Continue reading

Helena Community Gardens

  Helena Community Gardens (HCG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to making garden space accessible to all Helenans.  HCG currently manages seven different gardens throughout Helena. These gardens provide more than 200 individual garden plots for community gardeners. Each garden also has designated plots for volunteers to help grow and harvest produce for Helena […]

Continue reading

Farm to Cafeteria Programs Across Montana

The Farm to Cafeteria Network, a project of NCAT, recently completed a survey of 35 institutions in Montana including healthcare facilities, correctional facilities, K-12 schools, and colleges. Check out the great map for information on where and how the institutions are utilizing local food systems. http://farmtocafeteria.ncat.org/?page_id=963

Continue reading

New SNAP-Ed toolkit helps states identify obesity prevention strategies

from the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research New SNAP-Ed toolkit helps states identify obesity prevention strategies May 7, 2013, NCCOR On March 30, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled a new toolkit to help states identify evidenced-based obesity prevention policy and environmental change interventions to include in their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education […]

Continue reading

Building Community Gardens in Montana by Kathryn Grear Hutchison

  This guide contains tools and resources to help communities in Montana build their own Community Garden. Author Kathryn Hutchison gives tips for the process from start to finish. To find the manual, follow this link to the pdf: http://www.aeromt.org/PDFs/GardenManual.pdf.

Continue reading

Dawson County Farm-To-Table

  Farm-to-Table is a project of Community Giving Assistance Towards Employment (GATE), a 501(c)3 non-profit based in Glendive, MT. The mission of the project is to develop a sustainable local food system in Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota and therefore increase the vitality of our rural communities.  All areas of the local food economy […]

Continue reading

Bigfork/Ferndale Community Square Foot Garden

Come Grow With Us The St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Ferndale started a Square Foot Gardening system to provide members of the Bigfork and Ferndale communities along with the surrounding areas with a place to garden. The ground was made available by the St. Patrick’s Church. There are currently 72 plots and 62 of them were planted this […]

Continue reading

Sanders County BackPack Program

Providing child-friendly, nutritious food during the weekends and holiday breaks for children battling chronic hunger In February 2010 Thompson Falls Elementary in conjunction with the Sanders County Health Department, Montana Food Bank Network, and the Rural Health Initiative Incubator Program launched the Backpack Program for their students. The premise of this program is to provide […]

Continue reading

Gallatin Valley Farm to School

  Gallatin Valley Farm to School (GVF2S) was started in February 2007 by a Steering Committee of committed and concerned parents and community members. Today GVF2S is a collaboration between many diverse organizations, such as parent councils of various schools in the area, Bozeman School District Food Service, Montana Outdoor Science School, The Community Food Co-op, […]

Continue reading

Browning Community Garden

The Browning Community Garden and its partner organizations Blackfeet Manpower VISTA and Blackfeet Academy have been working together for the past 4 years to develop and sustain a community garden for those in the Browning area. Since this community garden project began four years ago, several different classes ranging from second graders to high school […]

Continue reading

Hardin Worksite Wellness Initiative

The Hardin Food Access Task Force and Big Horn County Extension Service partnered with local government offices to plan and implement a wellness program for County employees.    This project began in July of 2012 and to date the group has achieved 3 out of 5 project goals. Local worksites interested in working with the […]

Continue reading