Portland schools, community partners expand meals, emergency food supports as SNAP cuts loom

The Portland Board of Public Education on Oct. 28 heard a presentation from the Cumberland County Food Security Council and partners outlining districtwide efforts to strengthen school food programs and emergency supports as some families face reduced SNAP benefits.

The presentation, led by Jim of the Cumberland County Food Security Council, described a coalition approach begun in 2017 that coordinates school nutrition, charitable food in schools, nutrition education, gardens and sustainable practices with partners including the Foundation for Portland Public Schools, Cultivating Community and FoodCorps.

"Our mission is pretty straightforward. It's to build food security in our schools," Jim said.

Why it matters: School meals and charitable food programs are a frontline response when families lose access to federal benefits. Presenters told the board the district and community partners are increasing emergency assistance and adapting meal services to make culturally appropriate options more available.

What presenters told the board

- Food Fund grants: Zoe Grodsky, school food systems manager at the Cumberland County Food Security Council, said the Food Fund (run with the Foundation for Portland Public Schools) distributed $10,000 to nine projects in its October 2025 grant cycle and has distributed about $67,000 since 2019. The fund will provide emergency supports for families affected by SNAP reductions.

- Locker Project operations: Catherine Sargent described the Locker Project’s school‑based pantries, fresh food distributions and family boxes. The nonprofit reported roughly 260,000 pounds of food shared with Portland families last year and said it needs about $680,000 to fund planned programs through June 30, 2026.

- Halal School Meals Network: The board heard that a daily halal option has been available in every Portland Public School lunch line since April, produced at the central kitchen and subject to third‑party certification by the Islamic Food Council of America. Menu examples presented included a beef‑and‑bean burrito, crispy tofu and rice, teriyaki chicken, chickpea curry and hummus/vegetarian options. Sam, a FoodCorps school nutrition specialist, described taste tests, student surveys and monthly quality‑management meetings at Deering and Portland High School to gather student feedback.

- Local procurement and farm‑to‑school: Presenters reviewed a Maine Farm to School institute project focused on Longfellow, Lincoln and Deering as pilot schools to increase local procurement, build partnerships with producers and expand garden‑to‑cafeteria connections.

- Food service production and scratch cooking: Tyler, the district’s food service director, said the department raised scratch‑made preparations from roughly 5–8% to about 21%, noting that many culturally relevant dishes have been incorporated as part of that increase.

Questions from the board and responses

Board members asked how student preferences are gathered and how the district reaches multilingual families. Presenters said methods include student surveys (more than 800 students and families were surveyed through internship programs), focus groups with interpreters at community events, ongoing taste tests and daily cafeteria outreach. In response to sourcing questions, staff said some halal items are currently purchased through national distributors (Midamar) while the district explores more local halal meat production options.

Board members also asked about food waste and composting. Presenters said successful waste‑reduction efforts require sustained local champions (custodians, teachers, volunteers) and noted a plan to place University of Southern Maine interns in schools to support composting and sustainability projects.

Community reach and finance

Presenters emphasized cross‑jurisdiction collaboration with South Portland and Westbrook and thanked the Foundation for Portland Public Schools for covering participation costs for the farm‑to‑school institute. The Food Fund and Locker Project are described as direct mechanisms for distributing discretionary and emergency supports; presenters highlighted both recent grant awards and unmet fundraising needs.

Ending

Board members thanked presenters and emphasized the district’s and community’s role in scaling culturally appropriate meals and emergency assistance.

Provenance: Presentation and Q&A recorded in the meeting transcript starting with Jim’s remarks introduced by the chair (Oct. 28, 2025) and continuing through questions on kelp burgers, halal sourcing, gardens and composting.