USDA Community Food Projects Grant Program
The CFPCGP projects are Intended to bring people together to plan this project and foster an understanding on how we can improve our local food systems. Can add Logic Model add LOGIC model see Andy for help.
Applications Due Thursday, November 7, 2024 – 5:00PM ET
Webinar Schedule-Wednesday 9.18 Wednesday, 9/18 from 2-3:15 EST from Winrock Susan.schempf@winrock.org
USDA Webinar 12:00 Mon. 9.23 USDA (Sept 23 at 2 pm ET) are offering webinars to support applicants.
Award minimum is $125,000 in any single year, and maximum of $400,000 over four years, with 1:1 matching requirement. Can be in-kind. Program evaluation required.
USDA-NIFA-CFP-010954 The Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program is listed in the Assistance Listings under number 10.225
Project Summary/Business Plan Executive Summary specific to this grant. 10 text 5 graph pages 1 Abstract
Mountains of Meals – Community Food Project
Our sustainable community food project, led by Chef Mikey LLC, a Gallatin Valley MT. Social Benefit Enterprise will address two of the short-term goals, and all five of the long-term goals. In conjunction we will also be providing 5,303 free chef-made culturally relevant healthier choice meals the first year to those in need.
Our Mountains of Meals Program initiative draws inspiration from successful models such as Community Servings in Massachusetts, The Chef Ann Foundation in Boulder, CO. and Mercy Chefs, VA.
Community Servings provides 1.3 million medically tailored free scratch-made meals annually.
I reached out to Community Servings and they said they only help non-profits. This grant asks to find a way for nonprofits and for-profits to find a way to work together.
The point of course the USDA-NIFA is making is they see the need for this to change to combat the issue.
Chef Gary LeBlanc’s company Mercy Chefs, delivers millions of chef-made meals each year to disaster-stricken areas. Chef Garahan volunteered with Mercy Chefs in New Orleans, serving 18,000 meals in one day.
Garahan is a Certified Executive Chef with 53 years’ Banquet Chef experience, and the current Private Chef (summers) for Levi Jeans owners.
Chef Garahan will prepare the Mountains of Meals in the HRDC incubator kitchen.
Mountains of Meals will prove to be a replicable model for any community.
This could lead to more states adopting the Micro Home Restaurant Law. Each Rural town could have one or as many as per population. Micro Home Restaurants can offer healthier choice foods. Chef Garahan self-published A Chefs Guide to Starting A MEHKO in 2018, the book is in revision.
This year California doubled the gross sales amount for MEHKO’s from $50 K to $100 K, and increased allowable meals form 60-90. This summer Los Angeles adopted MEHKO’s and will allow street vendors to use their Micro Home Restaurant as their incubator kitchen.
Supervisor Holly Mitchell “While helping thousands of sidewalk vendors and home cooks benefit from our local economy.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/la-county-approves-at-home-kitchen-businesses/
Recent research-Aug. 2024 by Montana State University staff who peer-reviewed a paper on “Agrihoods” which support the community production of food. They suggested advocacy will move the cause forward.
The Phoenix 2025 Master Food Plan wants everyone to have access to healthier choice foods within ¼ of their home.
MEHKO’s are a good possible solution for the Child-Care issue. A second job could be one done from home, and a mom with children could supplement her income and not need to pay for child-care.
WORK PLANIn Phase One; with just two 8-hour shifts each week Chef Garahan will prepare approximately
100 meals per week. That is 5,340 for the year. Three shifts will be for educational sessions.
Chef will offer in-kind services (first year) of 2.5-8 hour shifts a week, and budget the same amount. $50 per hour. Offering $52,000 in-kind service.
The goal is to increase the number of meals each year, hire staff, and eventually expand to our own Mountains of Meals Kitchen & Food Test Kitchen. We would employ those on the project first.
Good Housekeeping Magazine’s test-kitchen tested products can use their Nutrition Emblem
gh-na.com for details. (Reads-Good Housekeeping Nutritionist Approved ™ on their package and advertise in their multi-media at $250 K for a one-page ad.
With all the new food and beverage products on the market there is clear demand for another test-kitchen, and with all our area’s culinary and farm expertise there is no better place than Bozeman, MT.
For sustainability one of our monetization options, we will offer our Chefs Mikey & Bev logo licensing to healthier choice foods that would like to sponsor a Nutrition Island ™ page about their product (Green Tea for ex.).
Chef Mikey, LLC addresses these Congressional action steps to a “hunger-free communities” goal.
- Effectively integrating public and private resources, including local businesses, to alleviate food insecurity;
- Having nutrition education programs for low-income citizens to enhance good food purchasing and food-preparation skills and to heighten awareness of the connection between diet and health;
In Taylor Brownell’s The influence of brand-equity mascots used by food, beverage, and restaurant companies on the diet of children and parents. May 2017 U of V. Poly-Tech
“More ever the development of para social relationships in education and interactive learning games have shown to be beneficial.” Kahoot EDU is an interactive learning tool used by 49% of US teachers. Chef Garahan is a Verified Higer Education Creator. Indigenous will be created by Chef Garahan and Indigenous Culinarians/Farmers/Educators, Kahoot’s will be highlighted as stated in the RFA.
Additionally, the research shows characters who possess humanlike qualities and behaviors are mor relatable to children and have similar attributes to people.
Hence, Chef Mikey © the mascot and Chef Mikey ® the Chef. We have added a Chef Bev and we are seeking the human Chef Bev. The image can be changed to Chef Bev’s Avatar if desired.
We currently have 1 e-Learning program with 10 foods, in one school district.
With this grant we can fund 4 more Nutrition Islands, which are $5 K each to produce.
By expanding to other school districts across the country, more people will be playing Nutrition Island. More people playing means more website traffic and the opportunity to monetize chefbnb.org with listing upgrades. We host Nutrition Island on www.chefbnb.org .
Another chef business, The Chef Ann Foundation, Boulder, CO. works with schools teaching and funding projects in several ways and has developed a business with over 50 staff members, generating millions a year in revenue and salaries.
Chef Mikey ® has been teaching children to cook for the last 20 years in schools and homes across the country, and part of Chefs Move to Schools since its inception by First Lady Michelle Obama.
Nutrition Island ™ is part of the Food System National Educational database.
Chefbnb.org is the marketplace service with a goal of connecting all those working for a better food system. Our daily blog will keep you up-to-date on things like-Where can I use my SNAP to buy prepared foods? Is there a MEHKO close to you, Micro Home Restaurant? Who is doing daily food rescue?
We currently have over 1,300 listings. Chef Garahan posts them free without any contact information. Our second monetization option is to offer tiered upgrades when we reach 3,000 listings.
Three days a week Chef Garahan will be conducting food-preparation classes and educational Trivia Nights in the community.
Meals, Project planning and educational trivia creation will include all groups, “NIFA encourages projects that serve underrepresented communities, such as tribal communities, communities of color, women, LGBTQIA+ communities, individuals with disabilities, Veterans, rural and remote communities, insular areas, or communities with residents predominantly living under the Federal poverty line.”
We will plan together where to source the ingredients, and decide on delivery vessel, (re-usable we will try to work in), thus addressing environmental stewardship-under Program Purpose they ask this to be HIGHLIGHTED.
HRDC will invite our neighbors. (HIPPA?)
Chef Mikey’s current partnerships include HRDC, the Bozeman schools, Gallatin College, Blackstone Launchpad-Montana State University, Score Mentor Bill Muhlenfeld, American Culinary Federation Chef & Child Educational Foundation.
Chef Mikey Likes It! Is one the featured Chef & Child educational programs.
https://www.acfchefs.org/ACF/Partnerships/Chef_and_Child/Programs_and_Awards/ACF/Partnerships/CCF/Programs/
The community will seek to expand our current collaborations to include (tentative) Mt. Office of Public Instruction. Chef Garahan talked with Gayla Randall-Family & Consumer Science during a Pro-Start in May and she responded she could help get Nutrition Island ™ in more schools.
In August we submitted a proposal to Albertsons about sponsoring Nutrition Island ™, and all is on-hold now with the upcoming merger. Albertsons is committed to reducing food insecurity in the community and has several programs and Health APP.
Chef Garahan is certified Level One Culinary Medicine, and has the support of Dr. Michael Fenster, University of Montana, Missoula College Culinary Arts Program. Dr. Fenster is the Culinary Medicine Instructor, and is known as Dr. Chef Mike.
Our Community Food Project also includes creating together fun educational and cooking segments held at Fork and Spoon via the popular gamified tool Kahoot EDU.
We could also hold educational and cooking sessions at the MSU Health Center, noted all ages groups need food preparation training.
Chef Garahan currently uses Kahoot EDU in his demonstrations to MSU Nutrition students and in Food Safety and Sanitation classes, the students all have the APP already on their phone and love it!
Chef Garahan owns the subscription and is a Verified Higher Education Creator.
APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for a grant under 7 USC 2034, CFPCGP, a public food program service provider, a tribal organization, or a private nonprofit entity, including gleaners, must 1) have experience in the area of community food work, particularly concerning small and medium-sized farms, including the provision of food to people in communities with low incomes and the development of new markets in communities with low incomes for agricultural producers;
b. job training and business development activities for food-related activities in communities with low incomes; or c. efforts to reduce food and nutrition insecurity in the community, including food distribution, improving access to services, or coordinating services and programs; 2) demonstrate competency to implement a project, provide fiscal accountability, collect data, and prepare reports and other necessary documentation; 3) demonstrate a willingness to share information with researchers, practitioners, and other interested parties; and 4) collaborate with one or more local partner organizations using one or more action steps proposed by Congress to achieve a “hunger-free communities’ goal
Summary of financial needs-Operating capital one year. 9/1/2025-9/1/2026
$96,240
• Payroll- 50,000
• Advertising $2,000 a month 27,450
• Insurance $200 a month $2,400
• Travel $100 per month $1,200
• Webmaster 40 hours a month. @$50 per hr. $2,000
• Website Hosting renew fees $35 a month $420
• HRDC Rental or may give in kind $4,000
• Misc-all kitchen related $4,120
• Office Supplies $250
• Powtoon-Kahoot $2,000
• Accounting- $2,400
Sales Forecast for Chef Mikey, LLC Social Benefit. Promoting ourselves as our primary cause is the Social Benefit of reducing food and nutrition insecurity. Selling products and services versus operating as a non-profit.
Year One-9/25-9/26-
Nutrition Island Page Sponsorships-50 pages @ $2,500 a year. $125,000 Chef Bnb.org upgrades at $49.95 a year 250 each $ 12,487 Meals at $7 served $37,121=90% of profit equals 5,303 meals
Total- $137,487
Year Two-9/26-9/27-
Ni Page Sponsorships-50 pages @ $2,500 $125,000
Chefbnb upgrades 500 @ $49.95 $24,974
Total- $149,974
Year Three-9/27-9/28
NI Page Sponsorships-100 pages @ $3,000 $300,000
Chefbnb upgrades 750 @ $59.95 $44,963
Total- $344,963
THREE YEAR TOTALS $632,424
Expenses 70 % $442,696
Net Profit 30% $189,727
Mountains of Meals Program 90% of profit $170,754 10% profit held in reserve
Food & Materials Cost of a Prepared meal $7 TOTAL 24,393 meals
