COMMUNITY COORDINATED HARVEST OF THE MONTH PROGRAM IN RURAL SOUTHWEST MONTANA

Project Goals and Intended Outcomes: Our HOM model engages numerous community organizations to build capacity, ensure sustainability, and meet the needs of children in our community. The overarching goal of this program is to increase opportunities for consistent nutrition education in our schools that is sustainable and supported by the community, and to improve the nutritional quality of school meals.Goal #1: Increase capacity for student food, garden, and nutrition education. A) High School & Carroll College students are trained to teach HOM in at least half of the fourth-grade classrooms in the 2023 & 2024 school years. B) In 2023 & 2024 school year all HPS fourth-grade students will have access to monthly HOM lessons. C) By the end of each school year every fourth-grade student will be able to list three MT-grown or raised foods. D) Ten classrooms or schools have an updated or new garden, greenhouse, grow tower, worm compost bin, or aquaculture system supported by the HOM mini-grant. E) Each classroom participating in HOM grows at least one of their HOM tastings by end of school year 2025.Goal #2: Provide training, technical support, and resources to teachers and food service staff on agriculture literacy, nutrition education, and standards. A) By 2025, 30% of HPS teachers will attend a MT Farm to School professional development training. B) By 2025, 20% of HPS teachers will implement a farm to school curriculum in their classroom. C) The HOM Coordinator will present program structure and data to the administration of at least three neighboring school districts May - September 2024. D) Neighboring school district administration in at least three schools will use Helena HOM data to promote farm to school programming with their staff in both 2023 and 2024 school years. E) By May 2025, the HOM Program will collaborate with MT Farm to School to offer virtual farm to school professional development training to school teachers in at least three neighboring school districts.Goal #3: Advance nutrition knowledge of students in elementary & secondary schools. A) Fourth grade students will report an increased acceptance of fresh, nutritious foods grown in MT in 2024 & 2025. B) By 2025 every fourth-grade student at HPS will have the opportunity to take afield trip to a local agriculture producer. C) Culinary Arts students will participate in monthly HOM lessons led by Old Salt Co-op Culinary and Community Director in both 2023 & 2024 school years.Goal #4: Establish avenue for secondary student application and integration of nutrition education. A) By the end of each semester Helena High Culinary Arts students will expand recipes offered for use in HOM tastings. B) High School Culinary Arts Students intern in Sodexo kitchen once per month to create and prepare a HOM tasting for HPS lunchrooms. C) Meal taste test results are used to promote and support Sodexo purchasing more fresh, nutritious foods for scratch-cooking. D) By 2025, Sodexo procures and serves a meal featuring one locally procured item monthly. E) Fourth grade students have confidence to promote HOM tastings in their school lunchrooms once/month.Goal #5: Grow and enhance the farm to school program to impact wider community. A) Lewis and Clark Library branches and local school libraries are stocked with books from HOM reading list. B) Fruit and vegetable costumes visit each school once per school year during HOM tastings. C) Each fourth-grade student completing HOM lessons receives a $5 farmer's market incentive. D) 90% of HOM students and their families visit the Helena Farmers Market each spring/summer. E) SPH presents HOM data results at 2024 MT Healthcare conference. F) SPH awards 10 mini-grants to teachers or schools to purchase or update a school garden, grow tower, worm compost bin, or aquaculture system for use in the classroom or school. G) HOM classrooms grow or procure from a local garden at least one taste test item.Goal #6: Foster high levels of community engagement and support the expansion of national service and volunteer opportunities. A) HOM outcomes are reported to community partners annually supporting HPS central kitchen expansion and improvement efforts for Sodexo to have adequate space to prepare and store locally procured foods and offer a technical education program. B) Each year 50% of High School Culinary Arts and Carroll College Public Health students actively engaged in annual community HOM nutrition and agriculture education opportunities. C) SPH applies for and is awarded an AmeriCorps Summer Associate for summer of 2024. D) A HOM summer position is supported by SPH starting in summer of 2025. E) HOM Coordinator guides two Carroll interns per school year in data collection and management.