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February 12 - March 15 - USDA Foods Open Ordering Period
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April 1/March 31 (Leap year) - January 2023 Claim Deadline
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March 15-16, 2024 - OSNA State Conference
ODE MEMOS
- School Food Authority Survey Announcement
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Survey on Supply Chain Disruption and Student Participation - The 2023-24 School Food Authority (SFA) Survey on Supply Chain Disruption and Student Participation is coming to a close! Remember, it is important that all SFAs – public, charter, and private – fill out the Survey. Your participation is vital to providing FNS with information they need to support school districts. Please take advantage of this opportunity to share your experiences from this school year and communicate the specific issues you are facing in your community directly to FNS.
USDA MEMOS
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SP 08-2024 - Community Eligibility Provision: Planning and Implementation Guidance - Updated
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SP 09-2024 - Community Eligibility Provision: Guidance and Updated Q&As
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SP 10-2024 - Community Eligibility Provision: Statutory Annual Notification
and Publication Requirements and School Year 2024-2025 Election
Deadline
PROGRAM UPDATES
Coming Soon - USDA Foods Distribution in the National School Lunch Program Satisfaction and Evaluation Survey
On March 18th, ODE Child Nutrition Programs will send out an email to all Oregon school districts containing the USDA Foods Distribution in the National School Lunch Program Satisfaction and Evaluation Survey. The survey's purpose is to receive feedback from Oregon school districts on how USDA Foods benefits the NSLP meal program, how USDA Foods entitlement supports food service in schools and overall satisfaction with the program. The results of the survey would help us gain a better understanding of what specific aspects of the USDA Foods Program are challenging, and what we can do to make meaningful improvements in these areas.
The survey will be open for four weeks with an ending date of April 15th, and it should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete. We will send out more notices as the release date gets closer, so please keep an eye on your inbox in the coming weeks for our survey. This is the first time we are sending a satisfaction and evaluation survey to all Oregon school districts since NSLP was established, and we look forward to receiving your feedback.
Summer EBT Informational Webinar
Please join the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) in a virtual meeting about the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) food benefits program for children. Oregon has applied to offer this new program in Summer 2024, pending approval from the USDA Food Nutrition Services and the Oregon State Legislature.
Date: Thursday, March 14, 2024
Time: 3 to 4 p.m., Pacific Time
Click here to register now
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Oregon Healthy Schools Video Series and Wellness Coordinator/Committee Survey
Oregon Healthy Schools Video Series
The Oregon Healthy Schools team is excited to announce the release of a video series highlighting the important ways local schools support student and staff health and wellbeing statewide. The OHS video series was filmed during the pandemic and funded through a federal CDC Healthy Schools grant. The very first video in the series showcases school nutrition programs and details the critical role that school nutrition staff play in keeping students healthy, happy, and ready to learn. Keep a close eye out for familiar face-- you may spot a nutrition hero you know (or maybe that’s you!).
We thank all who participated in the video series and are excited to celebrate the many ways schools work to meet students' needs despite significant challenges. We look forward to sharing your stories with school staff, students’ families, and the community at large.
Wellness Coordinator and Wellness Committee Survey
We want to hear from you! Please complete this brief survey to let us know if your school or districts has a designated Wellness Coordinator/Wellness Lead or an active Wellness Committee. The survey should take no longer than five minutes. Your input will help us to create a statewide database and provide more targeted support for school wellness efforts. Thank you!
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ODE CNP Procurement - Document Update:
Written Procurement Procedures
In February, ODE CNP Procurement Compliance staff made necessary changes to the written procurement procedures document template. Written procurement procedures are required for all purchasing entities when using federal awards. This template document only received a minor update in response to USDA regulatory guidance changes and a new Oregon Senate bill that altered State of Oregon Revised Statutes rules for Public Contacts and Public Procurements. There were also some slight changes to the documents formatting, accessibility, and overall usability.
Among the changes were the new requirements for annual training on Federal procurement responsibilities for school nutrition program directors, management, and staff tasked with National School Lunch Program procurement responsibilities. This change was part of USDA published rule for Child Nutrition Program Integrity.
In addition, Oregon passed Senate Bill 1047 which adjusted the state procurement thresholds for small purchases and formal procurements. The new Oregon small purchase threshold is for purchases less than $25,000. However, keep in mind that the federal threshold stands steady at the more restrictive $10,000. The Oregon formal procurements threshold was raised to match the federal amount at $250,000.
More information can be found on the document itself, which can be viewed on ODE CNP Procurement resources webpage.
Any questions, comments or concerns can be directed to Jared Puckett, CNP Procurement Compliance Specialist at Jared.Puckett@ODE.Oregon.gov or via phone at 971-208-2407.
ODE USDA Foods Ordering Period for School Year 2024-25
Have you placed your USDA Foods order yet? There is still time! The ODE USDA Foods webpage has been updated and you’ll find the tools and resources you need for a successful ordering period in the SY24-25 Ordering Resources section.
Among the items you will find in that section:
- The December 18 memo, ODE USDA Foods Ordering Schedule for School Year 2024-2025 – National School Lunch Program, including WBSCM Ordering training opportunities
- ODE USDA Foods Available List (Direct Delivery)
- ODE USDA Processing Material List
- Direct Delivery Order Planner
- Processing Order Planner
- DoD Fresh and UVFP Entitlement Set Aside Forms (due by March 15, 2024)
- WBSCM Instructions for Reports
- WBSCM Ordering Training PowerPoint
The Ordering Period in WBSCM opens February 12, 2024, and closes March 15, 2024. And, new this year, there will be an ‘On Call’ period in April, reserved for ODE to contact RAs for spending remaining entitlement (as needed).
When WBSCM opens February 12th, please log in and run the SY2025 Entitlement Summary Report to view your Beginning Entitlement amount for school year 2024-2025. If you need assistance with WBSCM login, please email ode.fooddistribution@ode.oregon.gov
For full details, please visit the ODE Food Distribution Program webpage or send an email to ode.fooddistribution@ode.oregon.gov.
The ODE USDA Foods Distribution team looks forward to working with you for another successful year!
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Produce from USDA Foods DoD Fresh
We are almost through our 3rd quarter of the school year, and the end of the school year is coming quickly!
The DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Program offers year-round staple produce and wonderful seasonal items like bright red Strawberries and juicy stone fruit (peaches, plums, etc.). The catalog of available fruits and vegetables is updated every Sunday. Watch for “Local” items (grown in Oregon, Washington, Idaho or California) to offer your students!
Please ensure you communicate with United Salad and DoD Fresh DLA for any of these occasions:
- If you will be starting to order or increasing the quantity of your order(s)
- Closures due to Spring Break, weather, or any unplanned closure
- Order quantity errors at time of delivery (revise delivery sheet)
- Order quality issues within 24 hours
Oregon’s DoD DLA Representative Contact is Tessie Vez tessie.vez@dla.mil
Vendor until 4/21: United Salad Contact Information:
(503) 288-8300 ext. 707 Email: uscorcsr@unitedsalad.com
For additional details for the DoD Fresh program, please visit the DoD Fresh Program Information webpage.
If your school district is not currently participating in the DoD Fresh Fruits and Vegetable program and you would like to, please contact ode.fooddistribution@ode.oregon.gov
Happy Spring!
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Navigating Milk and A La Carte Sales in Non-Pricing Programs
The Mid-Year Community Eligibility Provisions (CEP) election resulted in a record expansion of CEP in Oregon. Many SFA’s are operating CEP for the first time.
One of the challenges in non-pricing programs is how to navigate sales of a la carte items and non-reimbursable meals.
Individual milk is considered an a la carte sale that is outside the reimbursable meal.
In non-pricing programs there must be an associated charge for milk, a la carte items and non-reimbursable meals.
A School Food Authority (SFA )may choose to charge student accounts directly for these sales. As an alternative SFAs can allow students to take these foods for free; however, a la carte foods are not reimbursable or an allowable cost to the Non-Profit Food Service Account and they have to paid for in full through nonfederal funds. Foods and beverages sold à la carte are subject to the requirements for revenue from nonprogram foods (7 CFR 210.14(f)).
A practice that has emerged is to provide students that bring a lunch from home with a prepackaged combination of a milk, a fruit, and a vegetable. This meal would not be considered reimbursable as it is not a correct implementation of Offer vs. Serve. Under Offer vs Serve, students have to be offered all required meal components or items in the minimum required quantities for a meal to be considered reimbursable. Additionally, other than selecting the required minimum ½ cup fruit and/or vegetable serving, it is the student’s choice to select or decline a food component. Schools may not specify the other food components a student must select.
All messaging, communication and signage in Offer vs Serve must clearly communicate what students must select to have a complete reimbursable meal, what the allowable choices are and what students can decline; therefore, focused promotion of milk, fruit and vegetables only as a reimbursable meal is not allowable.
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This week is 2024 National School Breakfast Week!
Here are some great resources to support your breakfast programs and Breakfast After the Bell:
This National School Breakfast – Breakfast After the Bell Video from “No Kid Hungry” highlights former school nutrition directors as they share keys to their success with Breakfast After the Bell (BAB).
Check out the Fuel Up website! There’s a Road to School Breakfast section with lots of resources to support school breakfast and Breakfast after the Bell. Also, beginning March 12, 2024 you can apply for school nutrition equipment kits that are designed to support implementing innovative school breakfast solutions.
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Breakfast Recipes:
Fun Fruit Breakfast Pizza
Seasonal Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
Easy Cheesy Breakfast Bake
Butternut Muffin
Fun Ideas? Please share your ideas, what’s working well, and any questions with us any time.
Crista Hawkins and Laura Allran.
 Upcoming ODE/SNP Webinar Trainings
Oregon Department of Education Child Nutrition Program (ODE CNP) is offering the following webinar(s):
Production Records and Offer Versus Serve (OVS) - April 9, 2024 @ 2:00 PM Register Here
This session will cover:
- OVS overview and requirements
 News and Information About Other Child Nutrition Programs
For any questions about how supplemental USDA foods support the NSLP, CACFP or SFSP meal program for current school year or next school year, please contact the ODE USDA Foods Distribution Team at ode.fooddistribution@ode.oregon.gov
Please visit the Farm to Child Nutrition webpage for the latest grant information and due dates.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
Extra! Extra! Read all about it. Newsletters will be distributed during the following weeks. (During the summer, newsletters will be distributed once a month) We encourage you to access previous newsletters on the School Nutrition Memos Page:
Upcoming Editions:
 School Nutrition Program Contacts
Civil Rights
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-program-discrimination-complaint-form.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 Complaint form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
- mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
- fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
- email:
program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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