HOUGHTON — Houghton-Portage Township Schools’ food services director updated the district board on the status of several grants at Monday’s monthly meeting.

The district received a portable service line at no cost through a Moolah for Schools grant from the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, Shelby Turnquist said.

Houghton also received a Ten Cents a Meal grant from the state Department of Education, which is aimed at bringing healthy, locally grown food into schools. The district had run through the amount given this year, which dated back to August, Turnquist said.

Turnquist contacted MDE for more money. None was available now, but the MDE told her to continue buying fresh produce, Turnquist said.

“At the end of the grant, they’re 99% sure they’ll have money left over to match,” she said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also extended its free meal program, allowing all students to get free breakfast and lunch until the end of September.

“That also means we’ll be doing our summer feeding curbside pickup again this summer,” extending through September, Turnquist said.

However, MDE informed Turnquist it was unlikely the district would receive Farm to Family boxes or dairy boxes this summer. When the USDA put out its most recent grant, it only gave one supplier per state the capability of putting out food, Turnquist said.

“Because that one supplier was downstate, they weren’t too thrilled about having to come to the U.P. to deliver product,” she said. “We’re still working on it, hoping to get something along that line.”

More funding for a school food pilot program came through the recently passed federal COVID-19 relief bill. The $1.2 million grant for Michigan — $900,000 of which is going to the Great Lakes Consortium, can be used for purchasing Michigan products for school meals and pickup through Sept. 30.

“We’re going to have fresh asparagus available to us, peaches, apricots, plums, nectarines, grape tomatoes, squash — all kinds of fun things,” she said.