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Dear readers,
A link in the previous email was broken. It should have been:
www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/Portals/organic/FarmToSchoolPreBidPricing.doc 

I have also fixed the link below, in case you want it in the context of the 
whole email.
I'm very sorry about that!
Kate 

******* 

This upcoming event may be of interest to you.
WHAT: Farm-to-School pre-bid informational meeting in Manistee
WHEN: July 18, 2008 at 3:30 pm
WHERE: Manistee High School Conference Room, 525 12th St., Manistee, MI 

Farmers and vendors are invited to attend a farm to school pre-bid meeting 
in Manistee.  This farm to school project is a collaborative effort of the 
school food service directors of Manistee Area Public Schools and Kaleva 
Norman Dickson/Bear Lake Schools in Manistee County.  These school food 
service directors are primarily interested in purchasing apples, apple 
slices, and potatoes for their school meals programs next school year, but 
they are open to learning more about the availability of other fruits and 
vegetables available from growers and vendors in northwest lower Michigan. 
All interested farmers and vendors are invited to attend this informational 
pre-bid meeting or contact the food service directors directly to learn more 
about this exciting market opportunity!  Please see the letter copied below 
for more details and contact information. As the letter notes, this meeting 
is for informational and planning purposes ONLY.  An official bid notice
will be released later in the summer, prior to the start of school.
All school districts are interested in fresh fruits and vegetables to serve 
as part of the National School Lunch Program beginning with the 2008/2009 
school year. We will release an official notice for price quotes in August, 
for purchases beginning in September. This pre-bid meeting is for 
informational and planning purposes only. 

We are primarily interested in procuring apples, apple slices, and potatoes. 
Please visit 
www.michiganorganic.msu.edu/Portals/organic/FarmToSchoolPreBidPricing.doc 
for a sample product availability and pricing form, and note that varieties, 
sizes, and pack of products listed here are potentially flexible until we 
award contracts, depending upon available products and the food service 
directors’ needs. Also, please make us aware of any additional products 
you would like us to consider, along with their specifications, pricing, and 
availability. All districts reserve the right to award multiple contracts to 
multiple vendors, and do not guarantee any specific ordering volumes but we 
will be happy to discuss our anticipated use. Additionally, successful 
vendors may be asked to host school field trips and/or visit schools within 
the districts and present their products to students and staff as an 
educational tool and hands-on method for introducing local produce within 
the school or cafeteria. 

If you are interested in partnering with these school districts, please 
attend the meeting on July 18th. If you have additional questions, please 
contact Kathy Gutowski, Director of Nutrition Services, Manistee Area Public 
Schools at 231-398-3695 or [log in to unmask], or Jenice Momber, Food 
Service Director, Kaleva Norman Dickson/Bear Lake Schools at (231) 477-5353 
ext 304 or [log in to unmask] 

Hope this was of interest to you!
 - Vicki Morrone and Kate Leitch 

If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar
 http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html