NAFDPIR: 30 Years and Counting!
The National Association of Food Distribution Programs on
Indian Reservations (NAFDPIR) hosted its 30th Annual Conference this
year in St. Louis, Missouri. The conference, themed Honoring the Past,
Treasuring the Present, Shaping the Future, brought together Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) staff from across the country during the week of June 11, 2017. USDA
staff also attended and participated in panel
discussions and presentations focused on the FDPIR food package, FDPIR program updates,
and FDPIR technology systems. The conference also featured a
Nutrition Fair with nutrition educators from a wide range of organizations
displaying their resources including nutrition kits, cooking recipes, starter
seeds, and nutrition-related materials, including a new nutrition brochure for
FDPIR! Members of NAFDPIR also hosted an election this year and elected
Mr. Tod Robertson from Seminole Nation as President of the NAFDPIR Board. Congratulations, Tod!
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USDA staff Barbara Lopez, Julie Skolmowski, Janice Fitzgerald, and Lindsay Williams provide updates on the FDPIR food package, nutrition education, and communications projects at the NAFDPIR 2017 Food Package Open Forum.
FDPIR Training Continues in the Southwest Region
The Southwest Indian Food for Tribes, better known as SWIFT, hosted a
two-day training in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on March 28-29, 2017. Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) staff
provided training on certification, customer service, civil rights, and warehouse operations as well as a presentation on the Automated Inventory System (AIS) used by FDPIR programs. Additional discussion was provided by the Oklahoma Department of Education
regarding direct certification and by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services
on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s (SNAP) online verification
system.
The training was staffed by FNS’ Southwest Regional Office
program staff and representatives from the USDA DoD Fresh program, with more than
150 people in attendance each day making the training a success! We look
forward to the Southwest Indian Food for Tribes' “swift” return next year!
We know that there are many ways to use the USDA Foods you
receive every month through FDPIR. This month, we are sharing a photo and
recipes highlighting the creative ways you can use whole wheat tortillas and black beans. We
want to hear from you! Send us a photo of how you use these items or submit a recipe to help other participants use their USDA Foods in a
tasty way. Submit photos or recipe ideas to USDAFoods@fns.usda.gov by August 31,
2017. We will feature some of the ideas submitted by FDPIR participants
and nutrition education programs in our next edition of the "FDPIR Connection"
newsletter.
At the Spirit Lake Food Distribution Program in North Dakota, Nutrition Educator Elisha Poulsen teaches students how to prepare a healthy snack with whole wheat tortillas, peanut butter, and fruit.
Tangy Tuna Black Bean Quesadillas
These tangy black bean tortillas are loaded
with tuna. A hearty meal ready in less than 20 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 (12 ounce) can tuna, drained
- 1/2 cup black beans,
low sodium
- 1/2 cup low-fat sour
cream
- 1/2 cup canned sweet
corn, no salt added, drained
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
(optional)
- 1 tablespoon butter, divided
(optional)
- 4 (8 inch) whole-wheat
tortillas
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Mix tuna, black beans, and sour cream together in a large
bowl. Stir corn, hot sauce, and cumin into tuna mixture
2. Melt half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat;
heat 1 tortilla in melted butter for 1 minute and flip.
3. Spread half the tuna mixture over heated tortilla. Sprinkle
with half the cheese; cover with another tortilla. Place a lid on the skillet
and cook for 1 minute.
4. Flip the quesadilla, cover, and cook until cheese is melted,
1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining butter, tortillas, and filling. Slice and
serve a half quesadilla per person.
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Food Group
Contributions: Grains- 1.5 oz. whole grains; Vegetables- ¼ cup; Dairy- ½ cup;
Protein- 3 oz.
Calories per Serving:
340
Adapted from AllRecipes
Black Bean Pinwheels
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup canned black beans
-
3 ounces cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapenos (optional)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ sweet red pepper, finely chopped
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 4 8-inch whole wheat flour tortillas
Directions:
1. In a bowl, mash ½ cup of the
beans.
2. Stir in the remaining ¼ cup of the
beans, cream cheese, and jalapenos.
3. Spread on tortillas and sprinkle
cheddar cheese, red pepper, and onions.
4. Roll up tightly and wrap in
plastic wrap.
5. Chill for 2 to 8 hours.
6. To serve, remove plastic wrap.
Slice ½ to ¾ inch thick.
7. Place cut side up on serving
platter.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 10
Yield: 60 pieces
Recipe courtesy of Cherokee Nation, adapted from Food.com
Bison in the Fall Time
The Food Distribution Team is working towards including ground bison as a regular offering in the meat category of the FDPIR food package. This upcoming change, approved by members of the Food Package Review Work Group, is scheduled for the fall time-frame. Participants will have the option to select ground bison among other existing meat choices for their household. Updates
to the guide rates and the Automated Inventory System (AIS) will be coming soon, and more information will be
disseminated via the Regional Offices.
Shell Egg Pilot
Expansion Effort
USDA is currently conducting a shell egg pilot with Seneca Nation in upstate
New York and three Tribes in Oregon: Confederated Tribes of Siletz,
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and Klamath Tribe. The shell eggs are
delivered through the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
Program (DoD Fresh)
produce vendor. During the pilot period,
one dozen shell eggs will replace the powdered egg mix participants receive
each month. The pilot has been
successful in New York and Oregon. As a
result, this year it will be expanded to include nine additional Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs): Standing
Rock Sioux Tribe, Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, Trenton Indian Service Area, Leech
Lake Band of Ojibwe, Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, White Earth Band of
Chippewa, Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians,
and the Cherokee Tribe of North Carolina. The nine ITOs were selected because the DoD
contracts were amended to include shell egg distribution, USDA wanted to
include other food package distribution models such as store front and
tailgating in the pilot, and these ITOs have successfully
implemented the USDA DoD Fresh program. Each Tribe will use the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Order/Receipt
System (FFAVORS) to order shell eggs as part of their food package
benefit. USDA will continue to evaluate
this pilot program to consider future expansion to other Tribes. USDA continues to work collaboratively with
DoD to include shell egg distribution in new contracts as well as amending contracts that
still do not include shell eggs.
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Coming Soon: Market News in FFAVORS
USDA is working in partnership
with DoD to standardize the FFAVORS catalog item descriptions and to
create seasonal catalog templates to help create consistency in the approved
FDPIR produce items offered and to ensure Tribes are able to order seasonal
items, when available, through the online FFAVORS application. Standardizing
the item descriptions and creating the templates will streamline the ordering
process as well as assist in providing information on regional availability of
seasonal items through USDA Market News Reports. These enhancements will provide uniformity in
the produce offered by USDA DoD Fresh vendors to all Tribes nationwide. In addition, USDA will be adding the USDA
Market News links for fruits and vegetables to the FFAVORS webpage. Market News disseminates detailed information
on availability of fresh fruits and vegetables at major domestic
wholesale markets, production areas, and ports of entry. The reports will assist customers by giving
information when produce items are in season domestically, to evaluate market
conditions, identify trends, and monitor price patterns.
To
report issues concerning produce quality, condition, and delivery, Tribes should
contact their respective DLA Service Representative, the produce vendor, and the
appropriate FNS Regional Office staff. It
is important to document and report any issues with produce quality, condition,
or delivery as soon as produce is delivered. If issues are not resolved, please contact the USDA Complaint Team.
The
Complaint Team is available Monday-Friday, 6:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Email USDAFoodsComplaints@fns.usda.gov or call the USDA Foods Complaint Hotline
at 800-446-6991.
FNS' Office of Community Food Systems has a new fact
sheet, "Gardens in Tribal Communities." This fact sheet focuses on Tribal Nations leveraging
their school gardens as a tool to preserve tribal language and culture, and as
a source of food for child nutrition programs. Learn more about how tribal
communities are using gardens to educate students and enhance their connection
to the land.
View the new fact sheet here!
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Update on AIS Replacement
FNS has been working towards improving and consolidating technology
that support FDPIR, including the Automated
Inventory System (AIS). Two break-out sessions were conducted at the Annual
NAFDPIR Conference to share news about forthcoming enhancements to the current
AIS System as well as activities and plans for replacing it.
The AIS replacement project is currently in the acquisition
phase, during which both the software platform and system integrator for the
development phase will be selected. This
project will use Agile methodology to develop, test, and implement system functionality
continuously through short cycles called sprints instead of waiting until all system
development has been completed.
A starting point for Agile methodologies is collecting requirements, known as
user stories, which will guide development activities. To gain a better
understanding of shortfalls and challenges with the current technology, FNS has
conducted several site visits to observe and gather feedback about how AIS and
other systems are used to support FDPIR operations. Additional visits will be
scheduled in the future.
The NAFDPIR AIS Steering Committee has been established to
identify, review, and prioritize features for the replacement system. Members
include FNS and ITO representatives, who serve as a liaison between all FDPIR
operations within their Region. The Committee meets monthly. Background information, presentations, and the
latest meeting notes are available on the Committee’s webpage.
WBSCM Email Communications
Updates about Web-Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) system availability, new and enhanced
features, and important reminders are shared via the “News and Announcements”
forums on the Home page and the new notification banner. Users can “watch”
a forum to receive updates when new information is posted. Additionally, some
critical and/or time-sensitive announcements are shared directly by email to
reach all impacted users--especially those who may not log in to WBSCM frequently.
A new email address has been set up for WBSCM announcements.
Users are encouraged to add WBSCMcommunications@caci.com
to their address book and/or Safe Senders list to prevent this important news
from being blocked by their email server. Please note this address will be used
for outbound messages only and will not be monitored. Questions about WBSCM
should be directed to the WBSCM
Service Desk.
Hands-On Practice with WBSCM
The WBSCM
training environment (NTRN) provides sample data and a safe setting for
hands-on practice for most transactions. For the most part, email notifications
and interfaces with external system are disabled. While practicing, users can
assure themselves that they are working in NTRN (and not the “live” Production
environment) by referring to the logo in the upper right corner of the screen:
Each month, NTRN is updated to the most current WBSCM
software release. Each week, the sample data is restored to the original copy,
and any changes made since the last restore will be lost. NTRN is not available
during the weekly maintenance window from Noon on Friday to Noon on Monday.
To request access to NTRN, contact the WBSCM Service Desk.
Customizing WBSCM Reports
General guidance about working with reports is available in
WBSCM at Help -> Training Materials
-> Job Aids -> Reports (JA) -> Reporting Navigation. WBSCM
standard reports provide flexibility with both content and format to meet the
needs of different user groups, food distribution programs, and data requests. Most
reports also include an option to export the output to Excel, which offers
additional tools for organizing and analyzing data.
If the same search criteria will be used in the future, they
can be saved as a variant. To view
options to load, save, or delete variants, first click the Show Variants link to expand dialog box. In the following example,
the user has saved a variant “MF_ReqDD_2015” with the search criteria to
monitor received shipments requested for delivery in 2015 for FDPIR.
If a particular layout will be used again, the user can save
this custom view and easily access
the same settings later. Users may format the report to their liking by adding
or removing columns for some data fields, modifying the sequence of columns,
changing sort order, and more. In the following example, the user has removed
some of the default fields, changed the column order and sorting, and added a
filter. Because they want to use the same layout when running this type of
report in the future, the user has saved these settings as “My_Recvd_View.”
USDA staff will be participating in this upcoming meeting in 2017. We look forward to the opportunity to meet you and hope to see you there!
September 18-20: Second Annual Conference on Native American Nutrition in Prior Lake, Minnesota, hosted by Seeds of Native Health.
Here's how to sign up for these updates via GovDelivery:
1. Go to the Food Distribution website.
2. Click on the red envelope on the row of social media
icons on the top right of the page.
3. Enter your email address and click "Submit."
4. Check the boxes to select your topics of interest. For
these e-letters, scroll down to the Food Distribution category and click the
plus sign to the left of the check box to expand the list and view all the
sub-categories. Check these sub-categories to receive the corresponding
e-letters:
*USDA Foods --> receive all "USDA Foods from Farm
to Plate" general + program-specific e-letters
*Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) --> receive
"Household Highlights" e-letter
*The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) --> receive
"Household Highlights" e-letter
*Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) -->
receive "FDPIR Connection" e-letter
*Schools/Child Nutrition Commodity Programs --> receive
"Spotlight on Schools" e-letter
5. Update your
subscription preferences any time by following the above steps or clicking on
the Subscriber Preferences Page link at the bottom
of any of the e-letter email messages you receive from
GovDelivery. Questions? Contact us at USDAFoods@fns.usda.gov
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