November’s Positive Change recipient is Midwest Food Connection (MFC), a local nonprofit that empowers young school children to make healthy and responsible food choices. MFC was founded in 1993 by Mississippi Market and Wedge Community Co-op as a community outreach initiative to educate children about natural foods. Since then, the initiative has grown and flourished as a non-profit.
MFC creates elementary school lessons specifically for kindergarten, primary, and intermediate grades. Each year, they partner with over 50 schools in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, reaching over 6,700 children with classroom lessons. MCF’s educators teach about healthy eating, sustainable agriculture, and cultural cuisines.
MCF’s interactive curriculum focuses on:
- Providing children with opportunities to study and taste natural and organic foods.
- Creating an understanding in children of the origins and traditions of regionally produced foods.
- Teaching children about the methods and benefits of organic and sustainable agriculture.
- Organizing and leading field trips to local diversified farms.
November Positive Change donations will be used toward MFC’s education programs in St. Paul schools, supporting several in each Mississippi Market neighborhood.
Some of the St. Paul schools that Midwest Food Connection has visited in the past include:
- Adams Spanish Immersion
- Capitol Hill
- Highland Catholic School
- Horace Mann
- J J Hill Montessori
- Monroe/Linwood A+ School
- Museum Magnet