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This initiative was completed with generous support from the partner planning group.
If you are planning to attend WSNA, join the Where Washington Land and Water Meet Washington Schools: That's Harvest of the Season to learn more about the new Harvest of the Season resources.
Wapato School District Powers Up Culturally Inclusive Meals Through Student Partnership
During school year (SY) 2025–26, Child Nutrition Program sponsors from across the state participated in Power Up Your Program courses to enhance their programs through nutrition education, culturally inclusive meals, local school wellness policies, and marketing and promotion strategies.
OSPI is excited to highlight different ways that participants have boosted engagement and partnerships, enhanced their menus, and expanded opportunities for food and nutrition education.
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Wapato School District— Food Service Partners with Culinary Class to Introduce New Culturally Inclusive Menu Items
As a member of the Power Up Your Program cohort, Magieline Benedicto took a collaborative approach to engage students in developing new culturally inclusive menu offerings. She partnered with the high school culinary class, which spent the spring developing and sampling recipes that represent cultures from around the world. At the end of the semester, students voted on their favorite recipes from the course and shared them with Magieline for possible inclusion in the district’s menu rotation. The winning dishes were honey garlic chicken, chicken adobo, and chicken ramen.
After completing nutrient analyses for each recipe, Magieline worked with nutrition staff and the culinary students to host a tasting event at the high school. Cafeteria-goers were excited to try new flavors, and voting results indicated that most students would be excited to see the dishes featured on future lunch menus. Magieline plans to add at least two of the three recipes to the menu rotation in SY 2026-27 and hopes to continue inclusive activities like this.
Interested in joining Power Up Your Program?
In SY 2026 – 2027 and beyond, the course will be available in a self-guided format. Watch upcoming S.S.T.A.R. newsletters for an announcement when the Canvas courses open for enrollment.
Salad Bars to Schools is a national grant program operated by The Chef Ann Foundation. The goal of this program is for every school in the United States to offer a salad bar as part of their meal program.
Grantee Awarded: Comprehensive salad bar equipment package, marketing package, technical assistance resources, and two free enrollments in The School Food Institute's Salad Bars in Schools course.
Eligibility: Sponsors who operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), offer the salad bar as a part of a reimbursable meal, have a self-operated food service department (no FoodService Management Company), serve K-12 students with an enrollment of at least 100 students, and have the food service director involved in applying (with verification form from the superintendent) are eligible to apply.
Application Closes: March 31, 2026
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Hear from OSPI's Chief Nutrition Officer, Leanne Eko, and other experts about the use of statewide solicitations that allow multiple school districts to purchase local products through one streamlined bid. This webinar will explain the different methods states are using to develop and manage statewide solicitations for local food purchasing. After the presentation, a panel of state administrators will share their experiences developing and implementing these programs.
This is the third session of the State Procurement Innovation Spotlight webinar series, co-facilitated by National Farm to School Network, Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest New York, and Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems.
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ICN Accelerator: Back-to-School Edition
This free, full-day, virtual summit is an opportunity to attend professional development before the school year begins. This event brings together ICN's culinary, nutrition, food safety, and leadership experts for a day of field-specific learning.
There are two opportunities to attend. A free iLearn account from ICN is required.
Attend a lunch and learn, expert-led sessions, and a live Q&A. Review the session descriptions here.
Date: July 23
Time: 5 am – 12 pmPST
and
Date: August 25
Time: 8 am – 3 pm PST
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) offers free allergen awareness and food safety training in both in-person and virtual formats. These resources help school nutrition teams support student health and safety, and support school nutrition professionals to complete annual training requirements and support implementation of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act (WMFHKA).
Check out the resources on the ICN website.
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Are you registered for School Meal Programs annual training?
Don't miss this virtual training opportunity!
Attend up to 10 sessions, including Child Nutrition Hot Topics where participants will get a chance to network and share best practices.
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Review the May C.A.R.E. for details and session schedules.
Farm to School at WSNA Summer Conference
Planning to attend the Washington School Nutrition Association (WSNA) Conference July 27–29? Visit the OSPI and Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) booths for new farm to school resources and information. Check out these two farm to school themed sessions:
- “Where Washington Land and Water Meet Washington Schools: That's Harvest of the Season!” on Monday at 11:30am with OSPI, WSDA, and the WA State Farm to School Network
- “Becoming Your Growers Favorite Customer” on Tuesday 8:00am with Mark Rowley
Visit the local farm and food hub booths!
Waste Not Washington School Awards Webinar
Join the Department of Ecology to learn about changes to the Waste Not Washington School Awards program, what applicants should expect to see during this funding cycle, and tips for applying. There will be time for potential applicants to ask questions and discuss ideas.
Date: Thursday, July 23
Time: 10–11:30am
Farm to School Training
Food services staff and directors in Clallam, Jefferson, Island, and Kitsap counties are invited to Washington State University's (WSU) second annual Farm to School Food Services Training. Join WSU, Stacey Larsen from SeedSpring, Meredith Arseneau from Educational Service District (ESD) 113 and Annette Slonim from WSDA for a day of networking and hands-on culinary, menu planning, budgeting, and production records training. This workshop is open to all school district food services staff, directors, and culinary education teachers. All attendees will receive a $200 travel stipend. Registration is required.
Date: Tuesday, August 4
Time: 9 am–3 pm
Location: Port Angeles Food Bank
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Taste Washington Day
Save the date! Taste Washington Day is October 7. Taste Washington Day is a day to celebrate farm to school connections and kick off Farm to School Month.
Visit the website for more information and updates.
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FoodCorps’ Kindred Fellowship for School Nutrition Leaders
Applications for FoodCorps' Kindred Fellowship for School Nutrition Leaders (October 2026–June 2027) are now open.
This nine-month program will bring together 30 school food leaders to:
- Build leadership skills
- Connect with mentors and peer-learning pods for collaboration and support
- Lead projects that drive change in school meals, advocacy, and community partnerships
Ready to connect, cultivate, and nourish your community?
Start your application
Deadline to apply is August 31.
Questions? Email apply@foodcorps.org
FoodCorps is a non-partisan, non-profit organization. No federal funds were used to prepare or distribute advocacy actions.
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