A Message from Your SNA President-Elect
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“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” —Confucius
June surely is a noble month. The school year officially ends, and school nutrition professionals can pause to celebrate and reflect on events of the past year. Students will graduate, families move on. School foodservice moves to the rhythm of these cycles. From grade school through college, this chain of events never ends.
Now it is time to take stock of what we’ve been through, what we’ve accomplished and how we made it through. We can look back and celebrate what worked and let go of what did not. We can take a breath and look ahead at what might be new and different when the students return.
The USDA announcement on waiver extensions for SY2021-22 offers relief from two years of financial losses for both schools and our industry partners. As students return, school lunch will now be a reality for many that previously went without. This brings the promise of recovery for battered school food budgets and healing for our vendor partners that bore the load alongside us.
We learned a lot about each other over the past year. How to adjust on the fly. How to innovate and reimagine packaging and production. How our ability to communicate and solve problems brought us closer. The chance to restore and replenish looms large.
School foodservice professionals stepped up during the pandemic alongside first responders and health workers. We never faltered in our commitment to our communities. It is time to celebrate the staff that made that possible. They deserve a break, especially since many schools will continue to serve through the summer. I have seen the effects of a well-earned celebration of achievement in my own school district. Our “Spring Fling” event in May was bursting with a vibe of relief and renewal. The tide is changing.
Confucius was right. We can find wisdom in our reflection of the past 15 months. We did get through by imitating the success of others. We were tested by this experience and we are stronger in those broken places. Now we can resume doing what we do best—feed the future with excellence.
Sincerely,
Beth Wallace
SNA President-Elect
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DID YOU KNOW
The number of total lunches served in the first full year of the pandemic (including NSLP lunches and SFSP lunches) was down 39.55% compared to the year preceding the pandemic. Click here to check out SNA's analysis of meals served and reimbursement during the first full year of the pandemic.
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SNA CALENDAR
Virtual Events
July 12-15, 2021
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Last Chance to Participate in ANC21 Virtual Exhibits, Sponsorships and Other Engagement Opportunities
There are only six weeks left until #ANC21 and you do not want to miss the opportunity to showcase culinary trends, cutting-edge equipment and service solutions to operators and key decision makers registered to attend. We still have a limited number of engagement opportunities:
1. District Directors Section Meeting
2. Employee/Managers Section Meeting
3. Culinary Demonstrations
4. Scavenger Hunt (only 2 slots remaining)
5. Roundtable/Focus Group Discussions
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#ANC21 Pre-Registered Attendee List is Available for Exhibitors to Rent Early
Make the most of your opportunity to influence over 800 operators and decision makers at the School Nutrition Association’s Virtual Annual National Conference (ANC) with a pre-conference mailing or email. SNA members are very excited to attend this virtual event, so make sure you get to share in their excitement by explaining why they should stop by your virtual booth!
INFOCUS, SNA’s exclusive list manager, is now taking advance orders for the ANC 2021 virtual pre-registered attendee mailing and email listings. This highly focused list gives you the opportunity to capture the attention of conference attendees before the festivities even begin. The list is available for release on June 10, so beat the rush and plan your campaign to reach conference attendees just as their thoughts shift to ANC and the next school year.
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SNF’s Golden Ticket Raffle #ANC2021
What’s on your bucket list? Travel to Paris? Finish your degree? Pay bills? Save for a child’s tuition? Support the School Nutrition Foundation? If you’ve dreamed of winning $10,000 and crossing items off your bucket list, now’s your chance. The School Nutrition Foundation is holding its ever-popular $10,000 Golden Ticket Raffle at ANC2021. Don’t miss out—tickets are on sale now. The winner will be announced during SNA's Annual National Conference (ANC) on July 15, 2021. Purchase your ticket(s) today.
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Operators Identify Go-To Tech Solutions in New Digital Article: Check Out Advertising Opportunities for Future Editions
In the wake of the success with its COVID-19 digital supplement series, School Nutrition magazine introduces SN Plus, a new channel for the magazine to keep delivering high-quality content school nutrition professionals and partners can use to meet challenges, solve problems and enhance school meal programs. In this first edition, the SN team asked several directors to identify game-changing tech solutions that have improved various aspects of school nutrition operations. Read Tech on Deck. Contact your SN sale representative today for advertising opportunities in future digital supplements.
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Annual National Conference Reminders
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Registration & Booth Completion
For those companies participating within the 2021 Virtual ANC, the deadline to finish your organization’s booth and register your staff is Friday, June 25. For assistance with your booth, please contact GES/Swapcard at support@swapcard.com. Exhibiting companies receive five (5) Exhibit Booth Staff badges at no charge; Patron companies receive seven (7). If you need additional registrations beyond your allotment, the cost is $99 for each additional badge requested.
Register for SNA's 2021 Virtual Annual National Conference.
Virtual ANC Webinar for All
Register now for the upcoming Virtual ANC Webinar, June 30 at 3 pm EDT, where we’ll walk you through our amazing virtual platform! We are also pleased to share that full education session descriptions are now available online and are searchable—so it’s easier than ever to start planning your conference itinerary!
ANC 2022 Orlando
SNA will conduct telephone appointments to assign booth space for the 2022 Annual National Conference in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center. Please see the dates below and be on the lookout for more information regarding your organization’s appointment time within the next few weeks.
- Patron members: Monday, June 28–Wednesday, June 30, 2021
- Corporate members: Tuesday, July 20–Thursday, July 22, 2021
Change in Personnel
Please notify SNA via email at meetings@schoolnutrition.org when there is a change in staff or management, so that we can update your company record. Thank you.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us:
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Legislative & Regulatory Update
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SNA Publishes an Analysis of USDA's Data on the Impact of the First Full Year of the Pandemic
On June 1, SNA published an examination of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service's (FNS) latest data comparing the number of meals served and reimbursements in the year before the pandemic (March 2019 to February 2020) to the first full year of the pandemic (March 2020 to February 2021).
TAKE ACTION: Support the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021!
Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Gwyn Moore (D-WI) introduced S. 1530, the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021. TAKE ACTION!
House Education and Labor Subcommittee Holds Hearing on FNS Priorities
On May 12, the U.S. House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services held the hearing, "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service ." Read more.
Federal Register: Non-Competitive Technology Innovation Grants
SNA CNR Task Force Issues Recommendations
SNA’s Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) Task Force has finalized recommendations for the Association to share with Congress as they work to reauthorize the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA). Read more.
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