School Nutrition Association SNAC Bites
May 2020 Edition
Welcome to the May 2020 issue of SNA Communication (SNAC) Bites! SNAC Bites highlights new SNA programs
and news, and provides content for your state association publications, chapter meetings and social media
channels. In some cases, the content will need to be customized for your state association’s needs, should you
decide to use the below stories.

Here are this month’s headlines:
1. Annual National Conference
2. Stay Connected with SNA–Update Your E-mail Address Today!
3. Directors: We Need You to Participate in SNA’s Latest Survey
4. SNA Continues to Provide the Most Up-to-Date Information Regarding COVID-19
5. School Nutrition Foundation Help Feed School Kids Now! GoFundMe Grants
6. Considering Diversity and Inclusion During a Pandemic
7. SNA Launches New Weekly Wrap-Up Series
8. SNA Advocates for Funding to Offset Losses
9. USDA Announces New Waiver for School Meal Programs During COVID-19
10. SNA and United Fresh Partner to Assist Schools with Produce Needs
11. DGA Committee Draft Report Meeting and Final Systematic Review Protocols
12. SNA Comments and Federal Register Notices
13. Federal Court Rules on School Meal Flexibility Suit
14. New School Meal Bills Introduced
15. SNA Urges USDA to Restore School Meal Flexibilities
16. School Nutrition Publishes the Second Article in its COVID-19 Digital Series
17. Read the Spring Edition of the Journal of Child Nutrition & Management

1. Annual National Conference
SNA continues to monitor the pandemic situation very closely and is engaged in ongoing discussions with the
Gaylord Opryland Resort concerning the effect of the pandemic on the ability to host ANC in July and SNA’s
contractual obligations. The safety of our members, attendees, exhibitors, participants and staff is our highest
priority. We appreciate your understanding and patience during this unprecedented and unpredictable time and
will continue to keep members, exhibitors and speakers updated.
2. Stay Connected with SNA–Update Your E-mail Address Today!
Thank you for all the hard work that you do to ensure America’s children are still fed during COVID-19. As a valued
SNA member, we want to ensure you are receiving all the latest COVID-19 information. If you are not receiving
emails or would like to update your preferred address, please try the following:

1. Check your spam/junk folder

2. Log on to MyAccount at www.schoolnutrition.org to verify or update your email address and mailing
preferences
Still not getting emails or need help switching your mailing preferences? Contact SNA at
servicecenter@schoolnutrition.org for questions about staying connected.
SNAC Bites Questions or feedback? Please contactstatesupport@schoolnutrition.org
hhahahafunkhouser@schoolnutrition.org

3. Directors: We Need You to Participate in SNA’s Latest Survey
As part of SNA’s ongoing advocacy for SNA members, students and school meal programs, SNA is conducting a
survey with directors to capture the most current data on the impact of COVID-19 closures. You should have
received an email from the School Nutrition Association last week with a unique link to take the survey. We
encourage you to participate in this brief survey to assist in our efforts to advocate for school nutrition programs
across the country. Please complete the survey by COB Friday, May 8.

4. SNA Continues to Provide the Most Up-to-Date Information Regarding COVID-19
SNA is continuing to monitor the COVID-19 response as we communicate with the USDA’s Food and Nutrition
Service and Congress. Please be advised this is all fluid and changing so be sure to rely on your state agencies,
local guidance, and decision-makers in your district for what plans are appropriate in your community. Visit our
Coronavirus Member Resources webpage for the latest updates and information. Please remember to stay safe
during this time.

5. School Nutrition Foundation Help Feed School Kids Now! GoFundMe Grants
The School Nutrition Foundation established the GoFundMe campaign Help Feed School Kids Now! In order to
help support the essential school nutrition professionals across the country still working during the COVID-19
crisis. This application is open to both members and non-members. We have awarded our first six grants,
congratulations to the following school districts:
• Jennifer Al-Saeed, Riverway Learning Community School District, Minnesota
• Sarena Glenn, Wichita Falls Independent School District, Texas
• Mayelin Lora-Williams, South Bend School District, Indiana
• Vincent Palmiero, Marlboro School District, New Jersey
• Cindy Smith, Bluffview Montessori School #4001, Minnesota
• Morgan Stasik, Beech Grove City Schools, Indiana
In addition to the cash award, winners will also receive two Innoseal Professional Sealing machines to assist them
in their meal preparation and service. Co-owner Jeff Rebh said his company wanted to help school nutrition
professionals who are feeding children out of school due to COVID-19 closures. Innoseal is donating 250
Professional Sealing machines to the Help Feed School Meals Now! efforts. If your school district is interested in
applying, follow this link to submit your grant application today!

6. Considering Diversity and Inclusion During a Pandemic
It’s not easy to maintain a healthy mindset during a pandemic. For those working out in the field, there may be
the added stress of interactions with parents who are picking up meals, or new volunteers with different
worldviews. Gone unchecked, your team members can start to feel underappreciated or even hostile during this
time of crisis.

Join us Wednesday, May 6, for The Inclusion Breakthrough: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity and
Leveraging Inclusion as Georgetown Professor, Ella Washington, PhD., focuses on ways to check in with your team
and specifically concentrate on how team leaders should consider differences in race, religion, gender, sexual
orientation, age, socio-economic status or physical disability. Explore questions you can be asking your team, so
they know their voices are being heard, which ultimately creates a healthier mindset.

Then join us on May 13, to hear from four school nutrition directors who are currently navigating food distribution
and supply chain constraints. They will share how they are managing to still serve healthy fruits and vegetables in
their districts. Also hear from a processing plant on their current perspective in Produce in a Pandemic: Providing
Children with Fresh Fruits and Vegetables During COVID-19 School Closures.
We are striving to continue to bring relevant content during this time. Please visit our On-Demand Covid-19 Series
Webinars page for topics designed to support the work you are doing.

7. SNA Launches New Weekly Wrap-Up Series
How are school nutrition programs feeding students during COVID-19? On Friday afternoons, join us for the newly
released SNA Weekly Wrap Up Series featuring an SNA member and SEA Level Social’s Liz Roesel. Weekly episodes
can be viewed on the SNA Facebook page or YouTube channel. From unexpected success stories such as serving
300,000+ meals at emergency sites, to gaining new partnerships, you do not want to miss out on the latest
episodes featuring SNA members representing districts in Arizona, California, and Texas!

8. SNA Advocates for Funding to Offset Losses
On Monday, April 27th, SNA joined 37 allied organizations in a letter to the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations
Committees advocating for funding to help offset financial losses for school meal programs due to COVID-19
closures. The letter urges Congress to provide $2.6 billion to mitigate a portion of the estimated, significant loss
that school nutrition programs have and will continue to experience. Read the complete letter.

9. USDA Announces New Waiver for School Meal Programs During COVID-19
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working to provide flexibilities through nationwide waivers to allow
SFAs to continue meal service during COVID-19 school closures. For a complete list of nationwide waivers and FNS
actions to respond to COVID-19, visit USDA’s resources webpage.

10. SNA and United Fresh Partner to Assist Schools with Produce Needs
SNA and United Fresh Produce Association, the national association representing the fresh produce industry, have
partnered to connect produce distributors to school foodservice authorities requesting single-serve, individually
wrapped produce as part of their COVID-19 meal distributions. Read more in SNA’s press release.

11. DGA Committee Draft Report Meeting and Final Systematic Review Protocols
The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s schedule has been extended by one month, in consideration of
new demands on Committee members’ schedules due to COVID-19. The Committee will now present its draft
report via webcast on June 8, 2020. Registration opens in May. Public comments are due by June 1, 2020. The
2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s final systematic review protocols are now posted online.

12. SNA Comments and Federal Register Notices
SNA monitors the Federal Register for notices impacting school nutrition programs including recent Proposed,
Interim, and Final Rules, and changes to existing Rules. Check for updates, including SNA comments, and share
your comments on SNA’s Action Network.
• SNA comments to USDA as part of the Federal Register notice Agency Information Collection Activities;
Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Determining Eligibility for Free and Reduced Price Meals and
Free Milk in Schools.
• SNA comments to USDA, Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) for the Federal Register notice Agency
Information Collection Activities: Turnip the Beet! High Quality Summer Meals Award Program.
• SNA comments to the U.S Department of Labor’s Request for Comment on the Consumer Price Index
(CPI).

13. Federal Court Rules on School Meal Flexibility Suit
The federal district court in Maryland ruled in a lawsuit challenging USDA’s 2018 Final Rule Child Nutrition
Programs: Flexibilities for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Requirements. The ruling effectively strikes down the
Final Rule and sends it back to USDA for further action. Read more in SNA’s press release.

14. New School Meal Bills Introduced
All school nutrition-related bills and legislation can be found on SNA’s Action Network. Three (3) new Federal bills
impacting school nutrition programs were introduced in April 2020:
• Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN5) has introduced H.R. 6430, the Suspend School Meal Debt Act which formally
suspends the collection of all meal debt until the conclusion of COVID-19 pandemic.
• Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT5) introduced H.R 6445, the Food Assistance for Kids and Families During COVID19 Act. This bill would modify nutrition programs to address the Coronavirus; specifically, it would protect
access to food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and The Emergency
Feeding Assistance Program (TEFAP).
• Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN4) introduced H.R. 266, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care
Enhancement Act providing $484 billion to replenish a small business lending program and support
hospitals and COVID-19 testing. The bill includes an additional $310 billion in funding for the Paycheck
Protection Program (PPP).

15. SNA Urges USDA to Restore School Meal Flexibilities
In a letter to USDA, SNA emphasized the Court’s findings that the Final Rule was “not inconsistent” with federal
statute and that “USDA used its expertise to balance the nutrition science in the Dietary Guidelines with the
practical considerations of implementation.” SNA also highlighted the urgency of preserving these flexibilities
given COVID-19 procurement challenges and the financial impact of closures on school meal programs. Read more
in SNA’s press release.

16. School Nutrition Publishes the Second Article in its COVID-19 Digital Series
From nonprofit organizations to law enforcement officers, funeral homes to farms, school nutrition operators
have forged meaningful partnerships during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through these connections, they are
ensuring a hunger safety net for their community remains in place.A newly released digital extra from School Nutrition, and the second installment in the series, “Getting Through
This Together,” looks at how school foodservice teams are finding support from outside stakeholders nationwide.
In fact, operators are encouraged not just to wait for partners to come to them, but to reach out and seek
opportunities that will prove to be helpful resources after the crisis has passed.
The digital supplements are part of the magazine’s mission to provide relevant articles pertaining to the COVID-19
crisis in between print editions. Each month, we will publish additional online content. Stay tuned for the next
supplemental article in early May.

17. Read the Spring Edition of the Journal of Child Nutrition & Management
Providing you with science-based research and applicable information, the spring edition of the Journal of Child
Nutrition & Management is available for viewing. Published twice yearly, this recent edition has articles on the
impact of “smarter” lunchroom programs, the selection of fruits and vegetables by children, farm-to-school
solutions and much more. Read the issue of JCN&M today!