SN Express: The Latest News from SNA

SNA Urges Swift Passage of The Heroes Ac t

SNA expressed strong support for The Heroes Act, which includes $3 billion in emergency funding to help school meal programs cover costs associated with COVID-19 school closures. Learn More

SNA Recognizes 2020 National Industry Member of the Year

SNA has named Jose Quinones, National School Business Development Manager for J.T.M. Food Group, as the national Industry Member of the Year .

New Virtual Planning Series

Coming in June—SNA’s new Stronger Together: Back to School Series. This event will feature high-level content of special interest to directors seeking to put together a back-to-school action plan while navigating the consequences of COVID-19 on school feeding operations. Registration will open on Thursday, May 14 in the Training Zone .

Digital Extra from School Nutrition Magazine

Focusing on the culinary wizardry of school nutrition operations during pandemic closures, School Nutrition published its third article in a digitally exclusive series. Read More

SNA COVID-19 Policy Updates

SNA continues to advocate on behalf of members working to safely serve students during COVID-19 closures. Keep an eye on this section for the latest regulatory and legislative news impacting SNA members and the students they serve. Read More

New Tools for Families to Find School Meal Sites

With the help of SNA members sharing timely data on school feeding sites, new tools have been created in partnership with GENYOUth and SAP4Kids to streamline information for families looking for food. Read More

State Stay-at-Home Orders

COVID-19 stay-at-home orders listed by state. Learn More

The School Nutrition Foundation Help Feed School Kids Now! GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $30,000 to support school nutrition professionals during COVID-19 and the application period for these grants is now open! Learn more

Get in the Zone

The Training Zone is your one-stop shop for all of SNA’s eLearning. We are getting close to 10,000 users, and you could be the lucky one who wins the #ANC19 Video Package of 20 ANC education sessions. That is 20 CEUs! Learn more

Upcoming Webinar: May 19

Taking a Fresh Look at Community Eligibility-- now is the time to take a fresh look at community eligibility and determine if your school or district is eligible for community eligibility to help support students and their families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more

Upcoming Webinar: May 20

COVID-19's Impact on School Nutrition: Emerging Best Practices and Preliminary Research Findings—an overview of research and best practices on feeding school-aged children and adolescents during COVID-19 school closures as a means to prevent food insecurity . Learn more

SNA’s Food Allergy Resource Center

F ood allergies are on the rise, especially among children. Check out our resources for creating a safer and more socially comfortable environment for students with food allergies . Learn More

CDC Provides Guidelines for School Nutrition Professionals

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released guidelines for school nutrition professionals and volunteers, which include tips for worker and environment safety.

USDA Expands Access to Online Food Purchase Program

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced approval of a request from New Mexico and Rhode Island to provide online purchasing of food to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households. This approval will allow New Mexico and Rhode Island to expedite the implementation of online purchasing with currently authorized SNAP online retailers w ith a target start date to be announced soon. SNAP online purchasing is currently operational in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, New York, Oregon and Washington state. USDA previously announced the District of Columbia, West Virginia, Missouri, Texas, Vermont, Minnesota, Nevada and Colorado would also be implementing online purchasing soon.

USDA To Buy $470 Million of Surplus Food

USDA announced that it will spend $470 million to buy more surplus food to mitigate the supply chain disruption caused by COVID-19. The funds will be spent as a part of the authority USDA has for food purchases to help farmers and people in need through school meals, food banks and other programs. USDA will spend $120 million on surplus dairy, $50 million each of potatoes and turkey and $35 million on strawberries. Other purchases include chicken, catfish, pollock, asparagus, sweet potatoes and orange juice.

Listen in to the SNA Weekly Wrap-Up

Follow SNA on Facebook and listen to the fifth episode of our Weekly Wrap-Up where we interview directors every Friday — and also watch previous episodes!