Do you want healthy, local food served in school cafeterias?  Do you want thriving small  farms growing diverse food for our communities?  Do you support helping the next generation of farmers?  Jennifer Fike, Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP) Executive Director is putting her passion for running and passion for local food together.  She is running the Bayshore Marathon on May 26 in Traverse City to raise $ in support FSEP's programs.  Yup, that's 26.2 miles!  

FSEP, a 501c(3) non-profit was established to identify economic development opportunities and implement creative solutions to chronic issues relevant to the food system in southeast Michigan.  One of the ways we do that is through our Farm to School program and the Tilian Farm Development Center.  

FSEP's Farm to School program has been successful in bringing fresh, local produce into the school cafeteria.  We believe every child should have the opprotunity to eat a healthy lunch with food picked only miles away.  For more information on this, visit our Farm to School page: http://fsepmichigan.org/index.php/farm-to-school/

Another program FSEP is working with is Tilian Farm Development Center in Ann Arbor. In partnership with Ann Arbor Township, FSEP and partners have launched a farm incubator and farmer residency program to help new farmers get started. The mission of Tilian Farm Development Center is to facilitate new farm-business development in order to increase year-round diversified food production for local markets.  

To learn more about the Beginning Farmer Program or the Tilian Farm Development Center visit http://tiliancenter.wordpress.com/

Food System Economic Partnership is growing the local food movement across our region by connecting farmers to school, hospitals and restaurants and by providing business support services to farmers and food entrepreneurs. In just four short years we’ve provided technical assistance to nearly 30 farm to school programs and hundreds of farming businesses. So don’t delay, become a friend of FSEP and help us bring local food to your community!

Sincerely,

The FSEP Team