School Lunch Hero Day is Friday, May 6!
Thank you to all school food service staff for your dedication and hard work to provide nutritious meals to the children of Washington state!
Between preparing healthy meals for America’s students, adhering to strict nutrition standards, navigating student food allergies, and offering service with a smile, school nutrition professionals are true heroes.
Celebrate #SLHD22 on Friday, May 6!
Want to learn more about the inspiration behind School Lunch Hero Day? Watch the video!
This year marks a special 10-year anniversary for SLHD, as well as the 10th year SNA has partnered with artist Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author of the "Lunch Lady" book series that started it all
You’ll find lots of #SLHD22 recognition ideas on SNA's website, including thank you cards. Plan to spread the word and get the rest of your school, district and community with the help of our customizable press release and proclamation.
Share Your Celebrations with Us!
We know school nutrition professionals make a difference for every child who comes through the cafeteria. Tag your social media posts with #SLHD22 and #OSPIChildNutrition or email the Child Nutrition Team with your celebrations!
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The non-competitive Safe School Meals Grant (Form Package 170) has been utilized by over 240 Local Education Agencies around the state. This is a reminder that equipment and supplies purchased with this grant must be on-site by May 31, 2022.
Questions? Please email the CNS Grants team.
All public school districts and private schools must conduct outreach for summer meals each school year as required by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The outreach is to advertise the availability of summer meals before the end of the school year. Even if you are not sponsoring an SFSP program, you must share resources that allow households to locate summer meals in the area.
Outreach includes distributing locations, meal times, and contact information through your regular communication channels.
There are a number of resources, in both English and Spanish, to raise awareness in your community.
- USDA Resources
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Summer Meals Locator- Promote this tool in English or Spanish.
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USDA National Hunger Hotline- can be reached Monday–Friday
- Families can call 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479)
- For Spanish, families can call 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273)
- No Kid Hungry Resources
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The OSPI Communication Toolkit located on the SFSP Resources webpage, under the 'Promote the SFSP' dropdown. There you'll find:
- Social Media Graphics and Sample Social Media Posts
- Marketing Materials such as flyers, door hangers, and a banner image
Questions? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
USDA recently provided guidance on funding and resources to assist sponsors of school nutrition programs dealing with supply chain disruptions. This relief funding is made available through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and authorized under the CCC Charter Act. Assistance is being provided through the following three channels.
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Supply Chain Assistance- WA allocation $18,233,217 Funding for all School Food Authorities “exclusively” for the purchase of domestic foods that are minimally processed. Allocations will be based on $5,000 for each SFA plus a proportional amount based on October 2021 enrollment.
We are currently seeking spending authority through the state legislature and plan to distribute these funds at the beginning of next school year. Funds may be used through 9/30/2023. Please review SP 03-2022: Allocation of Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) Funds to Alleviate Supply Chain Disruptions in the School Meal Programs for additional USDA guidance on SCA funds. More Washington state specific details will be provided in a OSPI Bulletin and webinar.
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USDA Foods in Schools- WA allocation $5,283,131 Majority of funding will be added to next year’s entitlement allocation. A small amount will be added to next year’s DoD allocation.
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Local Food For Schools- WA allocation $3,644,643 Funding to state agencies for the purchase of domestic local foods for distribution to schools. OSPI Child Nutrition Services is in the process of preparing the application to receive these funds. More details will be shared once the application is approved.
Questions? Please email the Child Nutrition team.
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines have been announced for FNS child nutrition programs.
These guidelines are to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced-price meals and free milk for the period from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. These guidelines are used by schools, institutions, and facilities participating in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program for Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program.
Download a copy of the SY 2022–23 Income Guidelines
House Bill 1660 (2020) introduced new requirements around fee waivers for students eligible for free or reduced-price meals or students enrolled in the College Bound Scholarship Program.
Associated Student Body (ASB) clubs and other extracurricular activities are considered local education programs. Annual parental consent is required before free or reduced-price eligibility information can be shared. This includes students who are eligible for fee waivers via their enrollment in the College Bound Scholarship Program (as eligibility for College Bound is based on eligibility for free or reduced-price meals).
Check out our updated resource, Implementing HB 1660 – Nutrition Services Reference Sheet for more information and helpful tips.
Questions? Please email Mikhail Cherniske, CNS Legislative Specialist.
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