Thank You and Best Wishes
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Caroline Olson, Assistant Director of School Nutrition Programs, has enjoyed over five years with OPI getting to work with many schools throughout that time. With bittersweet sadness, she has accepted an offer as Benefis Health Systems' Weight Loss Coordinator Dietitian in Great Falls, and is looking forward to working with patients again in the community in which she lives. It was her honor to serve the Lunch Ladies and Gentlemen of Montana these past years, and she appreciates this agency and all the hardworking people within it who have taught her along the way.
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Katie Bark started her career 29 years ago with MSU Extension, then EHHD, and was the Director of Montana Team Nutrition for 27 years! She is an amazing source of positive energy, an out-of-this-world nutrition and health educator, and the most kind, most fun, hardest-working person you’ve ever met. Katie will be focused on grandmother activities and other pursuits that have been on hold during her working years. We will all miss Katie’s energy, knowledge, and commitment to school nutrition programs! Congratulations, Katie, on this new chapter!
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Supply Chain Assistance Funds Round #2
In the 2022-23 school year, many operators of the National School Lunch Program are experiencing ongoing challenges in purchasing and receiving food through their normal distribution channels.
To assist school districts experiencing these supply chain disruptions, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service has allocated relief Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) funding to State agencies for disbursement to eligible School Food Authorities, based on student enrollment.
The USDA structured the program into three separate ‘rounds’ of funding.
Round #1 - March 2022
The OPI disbursed $3,275,916 in SCA funds to School Food Authorities.
Funds were deposited into the non-profit school food service account.
Round #2 - December 2022
The OPI will disburse $3,141,432 to School Food Authorities.
Funds will be deposited into the non-profit school food service account.
Round #3 – Spring of 2023 – Date to be Determined
The OPI will disburse $2,028,987 to School Food Authorities.
The funds are to be used exclusively to purchase unprocessed or minimally processed domestic food products.
Although schools are not required to purchase local foods with SCA funds, doing so may help form new connections with small, local businesses and producers entering into the school nutrition market, which can help create a more resilient food system.
For help finding sources of local foods, see the Montana Farm to School webpage:
School Food - Montana Farm to School | Montana State University
Montana Marinara Packaging Machine Installed
Montana Marinara is a delicious, versatile menu item that is made exclusively for schools in our state that participate in the National School Lunch Program.
Over 11,000 pounds of squash, carrots, onions, and safflower oil have been sourced from Montana growers to produce the quantity of product needed to fulfill requests for the current school year.
To package the 32,000 pounds of Montana Marinara sauce that will be distributed to schools in January, Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center invested in a Vertical Form, Fill & Seal Pouch Packaging Machine for their production facility in Ronan, MT. This equipment automates the process of filling and sealing the bags of MT Marinara at a rate of up to 150 bags per minute.
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Nondiscrimination Statement
Spanish-language NDS
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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