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Dear Midwest Region friends,
Last month, we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and influence. Dr. King once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’” Though there is always more to be done, we have made significant progress. Across USDA, we have increased equitable access to nutrition programs, partnered with community-based and nonprofit organizations that work with underserved communities, and made millions of dollars of investments to improve equitable access to jobs, business opportunities, housing, and health care. And we know and appreciate how much you and your organizations do to ensure access to adequate nutrition and end hunger in the Midwest.
USDA is all in on setting children up to be healthy and thrive—and school meals are a proven tool for giving kids access to the nutrition they need to reach their bright futures. Just this past week, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the publication of a proposed rule by FNS, Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to improve the nutritional quality of school meals. The proposed changes center on standards for milk, sodium, whole grains, and added sugars. USDA is proposing the changes would begin to take effect in school year 2024-25 and would be phased in over several school years. Beyond improving nutrition security for all children, the rule promotes access to culturally appropriate menu options for American Indian and Alaskan Native students. USDA welcomes and encourages comments on the proposed rule during the 60-day comment period that began February 7, 2023. Stay tuned for more to come on the Healthy Kids Campaign!
We can’t say it too many times or too frequently – we greatly appreciate the work you all do. We know there have been added challenges over the past few years and recognize the impact the sunset of SNAP emergency allotments and the end of the public health emergency will have on your work in the coming months. We appreciate your creativity and commitment to helping those in need in your communities.
In this edition of At the Table, you will find featured partner success stories and news, grant opportunities, grant award announcements, and much more. Thanks to those of you who submitted content for this newsletter. If you have a story that you'd like us to feature in our next newsletter, let us know. As always, we would appreciate feedback on the content of these newsletters. Also, if you have an event coming up and would like to invite us or you have an idea for collaborating on communications or a success story you’d like to tell, please drop us a note at fnmwro.pa@usda.gov.
In partnership, Vista
Dr. Vista Suarez Fletcher, Midwest Regional Administrator
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 On February 3, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack hosted a virtual panel discussion on driving improvements in child health through nutritious school meals.
“Our commitment to the school meal programs comes from a common goal we all share – keeping kids healthy and helping them reach their full potential,” said Vilsack.
Based on the latest nutrition science and extensive feedback from our school meal partners, FNS has published a proposed rule - Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans which is open for comment through April 10, 2023.
Click to read the press release as well as more on the proposed updates to the school nutrition standards. To submit comments on the proposed standards, click HERE.
 USDA FNS has announced proposed updates to the WIC Food Packages that reflect the latest nutrition science, provide greater variety and a better balance of foods and nutrients, and support individual breastfeeding goals. The WIC food packages are specifically designed to provide under consumed nutrients, while also providing flexibility to accommodate personal and cultural food preferences.
Visit the WIC Works Resource System Overview of the WIC Food Packages Proposed Rule for information about the proposed changes and how to provide comments. WIC staff and participants can help shape the future of WIC by commenting on the WIC Food Packages Proposed Rule before February 21, 2023.
USDA Launches New Virtual Nutrition Center of Excellence
USDA announced its new Agricultural Science Center of Excellence for Nutrition and Diet for Better Health (ASCEND for Better Health) in support of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot effort to end cancer as we know it. This new virtual center will accelerate research on diet-related chronic diseases, including cancer.
A long-term goal of the center is to translate research into impactful solutions that improve public health and wellbeing, particularly in underserved communities. Click to read the press release.
Come to the Table Regional Nutrition Security and Healthcare Summits: Continuing the Conversation on Hunger as a Health Issue
On January 19th, 2023, the USDA participated in the first of seven regional summits focused on strengthening the intersections between healthcare and nutrition security hosted by ProMedica and The Root Cause Coalition at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
These regional summits build on USDA’s first-ever National Nutrition Security and Healthcare Summit which was held in Washington DC this past October 2022, a few weeks after the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. By bringing more than 200 key stakeholders together including several Congressional members and their staff, the national summit showcased relevant White House Conference commitments across the healthcare sector aiming to integrate nutrition and health. Together, the national and regional summits are leveraging the momentum of the White House Conference’s corresponding National Strategy that aims to end hunger, improve nutrition and physical activity, and reduce diet-related diseases and disparities.
SNAP Emergency Allotments Ending
Beginning March 2023, all states will return to issuing standard SNAP benefit amounts without the pandemic-related bonus known as Emergency Allotments (EAs). As emergency allotments were always intended to be temporary, many households will experience a reduction in benefits at a time when some are still struggling with the impacts of inflation and high food costs. FNS has developed a webpage that contains more information as well as the above infographic. Click HERE to read more.
Congress Takes Action to Help Victims of Card Skimming
As cases of EBT “card skimming” or “cloning” continue to be reported across the country, Congress passed a law in December that will ensure participants who are victims of card skimming or cloning have their benefits replaced.
Click HERE to read more.
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SNAP Online Shopping
You may know that stores like Walmart and Target accept SNAP payments online, but did you know that SNAP benefits can also be used to shop online safely at other regional retailers like Meijer, Aldi, and Jewel Osco? Since the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot program launched in 2019, it has expanded to 49 states and Washington, D.C. Households using the program have increased from approximately 35,000 SNAP households in March 2020 to nearly 4 million SNAP households in November 2022. To find all participating stores in your state, click here. Click to read the December 21, 2022 press release.
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New and Updated: Discover MyPlate Nutrition Education for Kindergarten
Schools and parents can now access the fun and inquiry-based MyPlate nutrition education resources designed specifically for kindergarten-aged children. Team Nutrition has expanded the set to include additional foods, Spanish-language components, and fun new resources showing where foods come from. All materials are free and available online at: fns.usda.gov/tn/discover-myplate-nutrition-education-kindergarten!
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High School Culinary Students in Michigan Dream Up Recipes for Fourth Graders to Taste Test.
In November, Midwest Region Special Nutrition Programs Director, Samia Hamdan and Nutritionist, Janelle Winter attended an event at the Montague Public Schools in Michigan where high school culinary students conducted taste testing and focus groups with fourth grade students. The fourth graders "determined acceptability" of the new foods. Samia and Janelle, along with partners from the Michigan Department of Education met with the high school students after the taste tests to discuss their experience preparing recipes and crediting challenges. Check out this video from the event.
Supporting Tribal Food Sovereignty Through the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program
Through the Local Food Purchase Assistance program, USDA partners with tribes and state governments to purchase foods from underserved and tribal producers and processors and distribute that food in a way that makes sense to their communities. These noncompetitive cooperative agreements are one of the new steps USDA is taking to support tribal food sovereignty interests.
USDA recently announced that the second funding cycle increases targeted tribal government funding to $100 million to extend current projects and for new tribal applicants. Applications are due March 31, 2023.
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Ohio Selected as One of 14 States to Participate in School Meals Demonstration Project Enabling Direct Certification Through Medicaid
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USDA Expands Local Foods in School Meals through Cooperative Agreement with Michigan
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Top Box Foods: A Simple and Stress-Free Way to Get Delicious, Nutritious Food in Chicago - Within any Budget
Top Box Foods is not a grocery store, farmers market, or food bank. Top Box Foods is a community-driven non-profit, founded in Chicago in 2012, that creates access to healthy and affordable food for the communities they serve. Customers place orders online or via phone for nutritious food which is offered at prices up to 40% lower than grocery stores.
EXPLORE New Produce with Brand New SnackTime Explorers Program!
Last month, Pilot Light and FRESHEALTH announced the launch of a brand new educational toolkit SnackTime Explorers. The SnackTime Explorers program is a series of adaptable mini-lessons designed to supplement educators who participate in the USDA's Fresh Fruit and Vegetable (FFVP) program.
SnackTime Explorers provides educators with an accessible and fun framework to engage their students with fresh produce in their classrooms. The program is being piloted right now in Chicago Public Schools, but will be expanding to more districts for the 2023-24 school year.
Click here for a sample lesson and click here to read and learn more.
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Improving Seniors’ Access to Locally Grown Foods, Strengthening Supply Chain Resilience
The Midwest region was awarded $9,333,752 in Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. These grant funds will help our Midwest state agency partners offer more fresh fruit and vegetable benefits, expand their service areas, and modernize benefits to use e-Solutions for issuance and redemption of benefits at farmers markets. We hope to also see the funds spent to support and improve the farm to consumer supply chain, getting fresh fruits and vegetables from farmers directly to the consumer. Click to learn more about the how Midwest states plan to use these funds.
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Nutrition Educators Demo Nutritious Dishes!
Nutrition education is an important component of the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) and is required as part of the administration of the program.
There are two funding opportunities for nutrition education in FDPIR: competitive Food Distribution Program Nutrition Education (FDPNE) Grants and non-competitive Nutrition Education Administrative Funds. Both options fund nutrition education projects and activities for eligible participants in the FDPIR. Nutrition education sometimes includes cooking classes, demonstrations, shopping trips, games, handouts and cooking videos like the one that Jennalee Portor, Nutrition Education Specialist of Bois Forte Band of Chippewa recorded in this cooking demonstration video for chicken stir fry using ingredients from the FDPIR food package.
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Wisconsin WIC is Partnering with Neb Medical to Streamline the Process of Providing WIC Participants with Breast Pumps Via a New, Innovative Policy!
 Wisconsin Department of Health Services Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) has developed TikTok videos and Instagram reels to accompany demonstration and comparison spreadsheets to help the breastfeeding parent decide which breast pump will work best for them. Neb Medical checks for insurance coverage. If the participant does not have insurance coverage for breast pumps, Wisconsin WIC will cover the price. WIC moms have the option to upgrade the pump by paying $160 which covers the difference in price. Once insurance or WIC eligibility is confirmed, the pump is shipped to the participant within 24 hours.
This new policy will take pump ordering, inventory monitoring, and paperwork off WIC clinic staff’s hands, so they have more time for nutrition education, healthcare referrals, and more!
Check out Wisconsin WIC’s TikTok (@wisconsinwic1) and Instagram (@wicmomstrong) videos to learn more about the Wisconsin WIC program and the breast pumps available to participants!
Midwest WIC Programs Take Breastfeeding Initiatives to the Next Level
WIC promotes and supports breastfeeding as an important part of safeguarding the health of low-income women, infants and children. In FY22, the MWRO WIC branch awarded over $1.4 million in Operational Adjustment (OA) funds to state WIC agencies for breastfeeding-related projects in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. To learn more about these projects and their impact and for a special highlight of Minnesota's projects, click here.
USDA Recognizes Midwest Turnip the Beet 2022 Award Winners!
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently announced the Turnip the Beet Award winners from summer 2022. With this award, FNS recognizes Summer Meal Program Sponsors who worked hard to offer high quality meals which are appealing, appetizing and nutritious during the summer months.
Twenty-four Turnip the Beet Award winners were from the Midwest! Click to see the Midwest winners and here to read more and for a list of all the winners!
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2023 SNAP State Institute -- Mind the Gap: Building a Bridge from Vision to Outcomes in Your SNAP E&T Program
Now is the time to apply for the 2023 SNAP E&T Program State Institute to be held this September 20th and 21st in Alexandria, VA.
The Institute is an exciting, collaborative gathering for a select number of State SNAP agencies. Join your peers and SNAP E&T experts and build a vision for your SNAP E&T program and strategic plan to put your goals into action.
Applications are due by 5pm ET on February 10, 2023. To learn more and apply, click HERE for more details, or visit the SNAP to Skills website.
Wednesdays February 15, May 17 and October 18 @ 10:00 AM Central
This year's speakers include Hunger Task Force (WI), Experimental Station (IL), Michigan Fitness Foundation and Houston's Farmers Market (TX). Sign up to learn more.
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This email was sent by USDA Midwest Region. For more information please contact USDA MWRO Communications:SM.FN.MW-Public.Affairs@usda.gov
77 W Jackson Blvd. Floor 20, Chicago, IL 60604
USDA is an equal opportunity employer.
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