In early March, The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) established the GoFundMe campaign Help Feed School Kids Now ! to call attention to the school nutrition professionals feeding kids across the nation. The COVID-19 crisis may go on for a long time, which is why it’s imperative that we help school nutrition operators feed as many children as possible. To date, the School Nutrition Foundation has raised over $300,000 and awarded seventy-nine (79) $1,500 grants to very deserving school districts. In addition to the grant money, each recipient has been shipped two Professional Sealing machines from Innoseal Systems.
With your help sharing and donating to our cause, many school meal programs that lacked critical funds to purchase necessary equipment and supplies or cover transportation, temporary staffing and other costs associated with COVID-19 feeding programs, have been helped and supported through the School Nutrition Foundation.

One of our grant recipients, Jessica West, Food Service Director from Warrensburg Central School District in New York, let us know how her school district plans on utilizing the grant money. Jessica stated, “I plan to use the grant money in order to purchase the equipment needed to implement Breakfast in the Classroom on an elementary level. Prior to COVID-19 school closures, our district was already hoping to do this program. The closure and reopening recommendations have only solidified our decision to utilize BIC. While we are still in discussions on reopening, we anticipate using the same set up for lunch in the classrooms as well. We also received two Innoseal Systems Professional Sealers which will make a huge difference in being able to do meal service in the classrooms in a school of 350+ with our 3 staff members. I anticipate serving the entree separately and having grab bags of fruit, veggie, and milk to take with it.” Jessica also let us know how receiving a grant from SNF is a huge benefit to their school district to help assist with feeding and how to plan for the upcoming school year.

If your school district is interested in applying, follow this link to submit your grant application today! In the application, you must supply SNF with basic information about yourself, your school district, and your school districts top needs. In order to be eligible to apply, you must submit your business entities operating EIN. Your school district also must be participating in the SFSP/SSP program. This application is open to both SNA members and non-members.

Sincerely,
SNF Staff

Help the School Nutrition Foundation Annual Fund

As we all navigate through these uncertain times, the School Nutrition Foundation has been laser focused on providing emergency funding to SNA members who are valiantly serving hungry children throughout the nation. Never have we been prouder of these heroic individuals who finally have been recognized as “essential” to the health and safety of this country. The Foundation has raised more than $300,000 during this time through a GoFundMe initiative, and we are providing $1,500 grants to districts to help offset their emergency needs.

As the country begins to reopen, we are too. We are looking at ways we can assist SNA members as they navigate the new path toward feeding children this summer and into the next school year. In order to do this, we need your help in 2020 - now more than ever.  
Through the Annual Fund, we can fortify the Foundation and continue providing scholarships and professional development, continue seeking funds for emergency situations and continue building the resources that SNA members need.

Please consider being a part of building the future of school nutrition by donating today Your donation will make a difference and build a better future for you and the children you feed, one school meal at a time.

The School Nutrition Association recently released a Thank You video for the hard work our members have done over the year. As the sister organization, the School Nutrition Foundation wants you to know we are so grateful for your continued dedication to the field and all the support you give to us each year.

We are proud to support such hard-working and deserving members. If you are interested in going back to school to earn your degree, receive an equipment grant or attend one of the many fantastic SNA conferences (SNIC, LAC or ANC), we encourage you to apply next year! Applications will open in the fall of 2021. Would you like to further your education in the School Nutrition Field? For questions, email scholarships@schoolnutrition.org .

NEW! Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom Operations & Equipment Guide

Last month we launched the new Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom Operations & Equipment Guide . Designed to help school nutrition operators plan for and implement alternative breakfast models (Grab-n-Go, Breakfast After the Bell, Second Chance), this guide is perfect for helping you plan for all SY 2020-21 meal service scenarios. We also encourage you to visit the new Partners for BIC website , which has resources to help you communicate with school stakeholders, engage students, and more, as you plan for mobile and alternative meal delivery this fall.

Long Memories: A Legacy, and Donation to the Annual Fund

In early June, the School Nutrition Foundation received a generous donation from someone who had never donated to SNF before – Mr. William “Bill” Kuster from Lafayette, Colorado. When we reached out to Mr. Kuster to thank him, we learned about his interesting and lovely connection to the school nutrition community… To learn more, follow this link to our SNF blog posts !

The Need Increases for School Nutrition Professionals Equipment Grants due to COVID-19 Crisis

When COVID-19 caused schools to be cancelled, it did not stop SNF from awarding $260,000 in Equipment Grants to four deserving school districts. As SNF looks toward 2021, we will once again create ways to assist our members. As mentioned earlier, through the support of generous organizations and individuals, the Foundation has been able to award up to $500,000 in grants to be used for emergency feeding during this crisis.

We were not surprised to learn that  equipment  is the number one purchase recipients are making with the grants.  With this valuable information in hand, we will reach out to last year’s equipment donors to see if they are able to donate again for 2021. Please visit www.schoolnutritionfoundation.org soon for more information on the 2021 Equipment Grants.
The 2020 SNF Equipment Grants were made possible by the generous contributions of ITW/FEG/, Winston Foodservice, CMA Dish Machines, Cooler Management, Eloma North America, Innoseal Systems, Jackson Warewashing Systems, Inc., Sterno Delivery, Unox, and Unified Brands.
Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom

SNF, along with the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom are sharing their tools, resources, and videos in a newly launched website that is easier to navigate. Check it out if you are looking for ideas on how to serve meals in classrooms.  With the generous support of the Walmart Foundation, Partners for BIC has provided technical assistance and over $11 million in funding to support the implementation of breakfast after the bell models in more than 500 schools in 70 districts, leading to over 100,000 additional children eating a healthy school breakfast since 2010.

L.E.A.D. to Succeed Training Grant

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service has awarded SNF a nearly $2 million grant to develop a training program for school nutrition professionals. SNF’s L.E.A.D (Learn, Educate, Advance, Develop) to Succeed initiative is examining and addressing professional and workforce development needs of school nutrition professionals in the areas of Personnel Management and Communication, Marketing and Customer Service. We will be ready to roll out our first training module for pilot testing of in the next few months.
In closing, be on the lookout for our quarterly Foundation Focus and please pass the message along to anyone you feel might be interested in hearing more about the School Nutrition Foundation. If you have any questions, please reach out to SNF@schoolnutrition.org .