Maine Grains at 42 Court St. in Skowhegan in July 2022. Portland Press Herald file

SKOWHEGAN — The Skowhegan Economic Development Corp. has been awarded a $200,000 grant to help support its partnership with Maine Grains, the University of Maine System and Sodexo’s Maine Course to provide packaged, grain-based foods to schools.

Bags of flour are stacked for shipment in July 2022 at Maine Grains at 42 Court St. in Skowhegan. Portland Press Herald file

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry announced the grant Monday from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation’s 2024 New England Food Vision Prize which awarded more than $1.2 million to support local foods in local schools.

The effort is a multiyear commitment to help build resilience, relationships and capacity within New England’s regional food system, according to the state agriculture department.

The University of Maine System and Sodexo are seeking healthful, ready-to-eat, local, grain-based foods for their menus, according to officials.

Equipment financed by the prize is expected to allow Maine Grains to turn local milling, cheesemaking, seaweed, blueberry and soy byproducts into high-fiber, high-protein packed goods for sale to schools, according to the state agriculture department.

The New England Food Vision Prize gives money to collaborative projects that address challenges related to sourcing and serving local produce, fish, meat, dairy and grains at educational institutions in New England.

Projects winning prizes help connect public school districts and institutions of higher education with farmers, distributors, fishermen, food hubs and others aligned with the goal of producing at least 30% of the region’s food by 2030. The 2024 prizes are expected to support nine projects from five New England states that will reach more than 150,000 students in 2,019 schools.

“It is an honor to support transformative leaders in their pursuit of a stronger New England food system,” Andy Kendall, the executive director of the Kendall Foundation, said. “More regional food on campus and district menus translates into stronger supply chains, more resilient growers and distributors and more knowledgeable students who will be tomorrow’s consumers. Congratulations to all Prize-winning teams.”

The Kendall Foundation started its regional food systems grant program in 2011. It partners with others dedicated to building a healthy, resilient food system in New England, and seeks to support innovative approaches that capitalize on the heightened awareness and interest in the food system.