Groundwork’s annual Harvest at the Commons celebration is a community collaboration, and one that wouldn’t be possible without key partners who lend their talents, and their love for the northern Michigan community.

Groundwork’s annual Harvest at the Commons celebration is a community collaboration, and one that wouldn’t be possible without key partners who lend their talents, and their love for the northern Michigan community.
Traverse City is quickly transitioning from a fossil fuel-dependent city in a fossil fuel-dependent state and becoming a statewide leader on renewables and energy efficiency, as it supports jobs in the new energy economy.
Farm to school champion and celebrity chef Alice Waters visited Boyne Falls Public School in Charlevoix County on Friday, Sept. 22, to witness firsthand how food service director and chef Nathan Bates is using locally-sourced produce in the cafeteria and how Boyne Falls is promoting local food in the curriculum.
Recognizing the need for local and organically grown food in schools-to increase both the physical health and learning capacity of America’s youth-the farm-to-school movement is spreading across the nation, inspired in part by Waters’ Edible Schoolyard Project.
Groundwork does a substantial part of its work by being solutions- oriented and sharing positive models for community resilience. The best model we found for structuring farm to school programs was the Three C’s: Cafeteria, Classroom, and Community.
Last year I served as Groundwork’s FoodCorps AmeriCorps service member at Boyne Falls Public School. This year I returned for another year of service at Boyne Falls, but I’m also working in Pellston Public Schools. Both schools are located in rural northern Michigan, but each have their own unique situation that shapes the goals and focus of my service.