MT PECH: Expanding Food Access to Healthy, Local Food

March is National Nutrition Month – a time to raise awareness of the importance of making informed food choices and developing healthy eating habits. But for many Montanans, food choices aren’t just about personal decisions; they’re shaped by systemic barriers like cost, availability and stigma that limit access to fresh, nutritious options.

The Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger (MT PECH) formed in 2011 as a coalition, and two years ago became a nonprofit to help break down these barriers. Their efforts help ensure that kids and families across the state can eat nourishing, locally grown food. Through innovative programs and partnerships, MT PECH is transforming Montana’s food system – prioritizing not just food access, but food quality.

“We believe it is incredibly important for young people and families across Montana to not only receive food, but to have nutritious food that feed their bodies, souls, and minds,” said Co-Executive Director Lisa Lee. “Our work specifically focuses on improving school meals in rural communities where fresh, quality food is limited. We are working to change how we approach food to improve diet-related health issues.”

We sat down with MT PECH Co-Executive Directors KayAnn Miller and Lisa Lee to learn more about some of Montana’s biggest food challenges and how they’re working alongside a broad group of partners to address them.

Improving Nutrition Education

For many Montanan families, cooking healthy meals isn’t just about access – it’s also about time, resources, and cooking skills. “It doesn’t help to tell people to eat more vegetables if they don’t know how to cook them,” KayAnn explained. “We help school food directors and head cooks understand the importance of nutrition education, while providing the skills needed to prepare scratch-cooked foods.”

Transitioning to healthier school meals isn’t always easy. When new, nutritious menu items are introduced, students sometimes reject them at first. That can be discouraging for school food directors. “We work on introducing healthier foods while also providing nutritional education in class, to give kids more exposure and time to like the new food choices,” said KayAnn.

Strengthening Local Food Systems

Another challenge is ensuring that Montana-grown food reaches schools and communities. Supply chain disruptions have made it increasingly difficult for schools and grocery stores to source fresh, local food.

“More and more schools are getting dropped by their mainline vendors,” KayAnn noted. To address this, MT PECH has collaborated with the Farmers Union and other organizations to develop a statewide food distribution co-op, connecting food hubs, communities, and institutions to distribute Montana-grown food statewide.

Celebrating Cultural and Indigenous Foods

MT PECH also works to provide culturally relevant food education, particularly in Indigenous communities. They have partnered with Montana school food service directors to introduce Indigenous foods into school meals. Many schools – including larger districts – are now incorporating Indigenous foods into their everyday meals and special events.

“Kids are learning about these foods in subjects like science, art, math, or biology, and then getting to experience them firsthand during lunch,” added Lisa. “This connection can be powerful.”

Changing the Narrative Around Childhood Hunger

Many Montanans don’t realize how limited fresh, quality food is in many rural parts of the state. In addition, about 75% of Montanans qualify for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) due to their income level. Yet, shame and stigma can prevent people—who are often working at least two jobs—from seeking help.

“When we started discussing Montanans’ ability to get fresh, quality food in their local communities, the message was clear: unless we reduce the stigma around food, food support programs, and fresh food access, we won’t see increased consumption of nutritious foods and reductions in chronic diseases,” KayAnn said. “We need to recognize our own biases and rethink how we talk about everyone’s ability to eat fresh, quality, locally sourced food.”

MT PECH and its partners are working with school food service directors, healthcare providers, members of the media, and artists who advocate for changing negative societal stereotypes of hunger. They aim to ensure no one in Montana is ashamed to ask for the food they need.

How You Can Get Involved

MT PECH is actively working to improve food access, nutrition education, hunger narratives, and local food distribution throughout Montana. You can help!

To learn more and support their mission:

• Check out their website
• Follow them on Facebook
• Support their programs and events – reach out to KayAnn at [email protected] to learn more about how you can get involved.

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Thank you to Lisa and KayAnn for their leadership and dedication to improving access to healthy food for kids and families across Montana. Headwaters Foundation is honored to support MT PECH!