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School Nutrition Bulletin 2324-17

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Announcements from the WI DPI School Nutrition Team (SNT)

Happy New Year from all of us to all of you! Let's Rock 2024!

Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
 

USDA Interim Final Rule: Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-Congregate Option in the Summer Meal Programs

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 requires the Secretary of Agriculture to make available an option to States to provide summer meals for non-congregate meal service in rural areas with no congregate meal service and to establish a permanent summer electronic benefits transfer (S-EBT) for children program for the purpose of ensuring continued access to food when school is not in session for the summer.

The summer non-congregate provision is available in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program’s Seamless Summer Option (SSO).

States have the option to participate in the S-EBT Program. Wisconsin has elected to participate. The program is a collective effort between the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Health Services. More information to come. This permanent program will start in Summer 2024.
 

Apply for a Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grant

On November 27, two of the four cooperators for USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Initiative School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants, Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) and Center for School and Community Partnerships at Boise State University, released Requests for Applications (RFA). The sub-grants will support collaborative projects between school districts, food producers, suppliers, distributors, and/or community partners to stimulate the creation of a resilient, equitable, and nutritious school food system.

CAF’s RFA for Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) will close January 22, 2024. The Center for School and Community Partnerships at Boise State University’s RFA for Supporting Community Agriculture and Local Education Systems (Project SCALES) will close January 26, 2024. Check out the HMI School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grant webpage for more information.
 

Celebrate Your School Meal Success with a Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award

There are many ways to serve school meals and the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards for School Food Authorities are designed to celebrate the innovative practices taking place across the country! Whether it is preparation techniques, menu planning, cultural diversity of meals, incorporation of local foods, community engagement, or nutrition education – uplift your school meal program by applying for a Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award today! Recognition Award winners will receive national and local recognition, as well as an exclusive invitation and a travel stipend to attend one of the National Healthy Meals Summits.
 

Food Hubs and Farm to School: Expanding Local Food Access and Building Resilient Food Systems

(From The Dirt: USDA News and Notes from the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program)

There are many procurement avenues available when sourcing local food; one that’s on the rise is purchasing from food hubs. What is a food hub? The USDA defines it as “a centrally located facility with a business management structure facilitating the aggregation, storage, processing, distribution, and/or marketing of locally/regionally produced food products.” A food hub can help SFAs with local purchasing through aggregation, which is working with multiple producers to combine and sell their harvests of one type of product. This can help SFAs make large purchases that individual local producers might not be able to fulfill on their own. With food hubs, producers benefit, too. By partnering with food hubs, producers have increased access to new market opportunities, such as schools or hospitals, and increased revenue potential by providing outlets for crops that farmers may not sell on their own. Food hubs provide the connections between producers and SFAs, providing a mutually beneficial relationship across the local food system.

If interested in working with a food hub in Wisconsin and do not know where to start, contact DPIF2S@dpi.wi.gov.
 

USDA Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative

FNS established the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative to improve the nutritional quality of school meals through food systems transformation, school food authority recognition, and technical assistance, the generation and sharing of innovative ideas and tested practices, and grants.

Healthy Meals Incentives Grants for Small and/or Rural School Food Authorities
On August 7, 2023, Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) awarded nearly $30 million in grants to 264 small and/or rural SFAs across 44 states and the District of Columbia.

Key Dates:

  • August 7, 2023: Grantees were announced
  • September 30, 2025: Grant funding ends

Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards for School Food Authorities
The Recognition Awards celebrate SFAs that have made significant improvements to the nutritional quality of their school meals, and spotlight innovative practices and student and community engagement activities. AFHK is providing technical assistance to help SFAs with their applications.

Key Dates:

  • June 30, 2023: Recognition Awards application opened
  • June 30, 2025: Recognition Awards application closes

School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants
The School Food System Transformation Challenge sub-grants will support collaborative projects between school districts, food producers, suppliers, distributors, and/or community partners to stimulate the creation of a resilient, equitable, and nutritious school food system.

Key Dates:

Healthy Meals Summits

The Healthy Meals Summits will bring together the Small and/or Rural SFA grantees, Recognition Award recipients, and SFST grantees to share best practices and strategies for sustaining their achievements.

Summit Dates:

  • April 9-10, 2024: St. Louis, Missouri
  • October 22-23, 2024: Las Vegas, Nevada
  • October 23-24, 2025: Las Vegas, Nevada

The Healthy Meals Incentives activities noted above are expected to increase utilization, and thereby demand, for nutritious agricultural commodities, such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits as well as food products that reflect various cultures. These efforts are also positioned to strengthen small and rural school food authorities’ access to nutritious agricultural commodities through food systems transformation and grants to small and rural school food authorities.


USDA Policy Memorandum SP 16-2016 Revision

USDA Food and Nutrition Service updated several questions under Part III – Game Animals to reduce potential barriers to tribal nations and communities in sourcing domesticated and wild game animals, including buffalo, while complying with all applicable Federal, State, local, and Tribal laws and regulations regarding the inspection of game animals.
 

Urban School Food Alliance and USDA Begin New Procurement Focused Partnership

USDA is partnering with the Urban School Food Alliance (USFA) to develop and implement trainings, tools, and resources to help school districts purchase high quality foods, while keeping costs low. USFA will organize an advisory group of school nutrition stakeholders to create an action plan that will address school food procurement challenges through targeted trainings and resources. USFA will begin sharing trainings and resources with school districts immediately, and the advisory group’s work will begin in 2024.

Updates from the DPI School Nutrition Team

 

Around the World in 80 Trays Next Week!

The annual Around the World in 80 Trays event is next week, January 15-19, 2024! Do not miss the chance to serve a globally inspired dish in honor of the unique cultural backgrounds of Wisconsin students! Get inspiration by seeing what Racine Unified School District did last year at Gilmore Fine Arts Academy to celebrate!

Visit the Around the World in 80 Trays website for recipes, including Fast Recipe Ideas! Remember to Take the Pledge to help us reach our goal of 80 participating schools and districts.

 

Celebrate Wisconsin Chili Lunch!

Wisconsin Chili Lunch Day is Thursday, February 22, 2024. This is an opportunity for K-12 schools, early care and education programs, hospitals, colleges and more to cook and serve a chili recipe featuring local foods. Prepare your chili with locally grown and produced ingredients. Local meats, vegetables, cheese, and yogurt are some foods to consider using.

UW-extension has made available a Wisconsin Chili Lunch Guide as well as a collection of resources to assist with planning your event. Included are recipe ideas, crediting information, and promotional ideas. Register for the Chili Lunch Here!

Help highlight the amazing local foods available in our state by participating in the 2024 Wisconsin Chili Lunch!

 

Hot Off the Press: Farm to School Logo!

Wisconsin schools may use the new Wisconsin Farm to School (F2S) logo to promote local menu items and F2S activities! Include on menus, incorporate into signage, and utilize on social media and email or print communications! If you are not a Wisconsin school and wish to use this logo, please contact DPIF2S@dpi.wi.gov for permission. Wisconsin schools do not need permission to utilize this logo.

 

USDA Farm to School (F2S) Census: Raffle Winners!

Thank you to all School Food Authorities (SFAs) who completed the F2S Census! The USDA hopes to publish the data late this year. All SFAs that completed the Census were entered into a raffle for stickers and recipe cards. There were five winners: Omro School District, Gresham School District, Thorp School District, Elkhorn Area School District, and Aquinas Catholic Schools!

Other Updates and Information

 

DPI Strategic Plan Engagement Sessions: Coming to a Community (or Computer) Near You!

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is developing a strategic plan that is rooted in equity to ensure that the strategies and measurements of progress align with DPI's mission and vision. We are committed to transparency and inclusivity, actively involving both DPI colleagues and external stakeholders in a collaborative process.

Since we first kicked off the DPI five-year strategic planning process in the spring of 2023, the DPI has scheduled and held public engagement sessions both online and in communities in the north of our state. We’ve been to Minocqua, Weston, Eau Claire, Onalaska, Washburn, Spooner, Green Bay, and Crivitz. We have also held two virtual engagement sessions. Visit the Strategic Planning Community Engagement Session webpage for more information and to sign up.

Starting in January of 2024, we will expand our visits to the rest of the state, making sure that as many folks as possible have an engagement session somewhere close by. Childcare is available at all in-person sessions! If you require ASL interpretation services or translation into Hmong or Spanish to take part, please let us know. We endeavor to make these sessions as accessible as possible, working with local school districts to leverage inclusive resources.

Learn more about the strategic planning process on the DPI Strategic Planning webpage, and take the Online Survey in English, Spanish, or Hmong, and sign up to attend one of our statewide or local Strategic Planning Engagement Sessions.

Upcoming Sessions:

January 10: Milwaukee, MPS Central Office Cafeteria, 5 - 6:30 PM
January 11: Kenosha, ESC Board Room, 3600 52nd Street, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
January 23: DeForest, DeForest High School South Commons, 5 - 6:30 PM
January 29: Dodgeville, Dodgeville High School, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
January 31: Virtual, Zoom, 5 - 6:30 PM
February 1: Janesville, Marshall Middle School Cafeteria, 5 - 6:30 PM

Register Here to let us know you are coming!
 

Advancing Racial and Social Equity in Wisconsin Farm to School: Strategies for Investing in Historically Underserved Producers Webinar

How can schools, support organizations, and policymakers improve access for historically underserved producers to participate in farm to school procurement? Allison Pfaff Harris of REAP Food Group and Jess Guffey Calkins of University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension will share findings from their 2023 Study Report that explored the needs and opportunities of historically underserved Wisconsin producers for engaging in farm to school markets. This report’s in-depth information about barriers faced by producers and detailed stakeholder recommendations are relevant for anyone looking to improve farm to school procurement. The webinar will be held on January 17, 2024 at 12pm CST
 

Webinar January 11: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Opens Wisconsin Farm To School Grant Program Through February 2

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is accepting applications for the Wisconsin Farm to School Grant Program through 5:00 PM on Friday, February 2, 2024. DATCP will award a total of up to $250,000 in Farm to School grants.

This one-time, Federal funding has been provided with the purpose of expanding or creating new farm to school activities. The goal of the Wisconsin Farm to School Grant Program is to enable communities to develop partnerships, implement initiatives, and strengthen Wisconsin’s farm to school network. Successful projects will gather impact and outcome data, measure grant program demand, and capture success stories for ongoing support and funding. Funds are not intended to provide one-time funding for farm to school meals.

Eligible applications should include three or more partners engaging youth in farm to school activities. Applicants must identify a school food service director, an early care education (ECE) director, and/or an authorized school or community nutrition program representative.

Projects ranging in size from $10,000 to $40,000 will be funded for one year following a competitive review process. Eligible expenses include salaries, equipment rental/lease, materials, and supplies. Matching funds of 25% of the award, or 20% of the total project, is required. Selected applicants will be contracted for work to begin in March 2024.

An informational webinar on the Farm to School grant will be hosted by DATCP at 1:00 PM on January 11, 2024. Registration is required. To register for the webinar, access the grant information and application materials, or learn more about the program, visit the Grant Webpage. For more information on the grant, email DATCPdadgrants@wisconsin.gov.

 

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program Grant Applications Open Through March 6

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is accepting applications for the Wisconsin Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Program. The purpose of the RFSI Program is to expand capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of locally- and regionally-produced food products, including specialty crops, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture, and other value-added food products. Funding for the program is provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

A total of $27 million will be awarded through a competitive grant process. Grant applications are due by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.

The RFSI Program has two grant tracks, the Infrastructure Grant and the Equipment-Only Grant. pplicants may only apply for one track.

Infrastructure Grants will range from $100,000 up to $3 million. This grant can fund capital investments such as construction, equipment (e.g. delivery vehicles, frozen or refrigerated storage, value-added food processing equipment, or other equipment for middle-of-the food supply chain activities), and building renovations. Infrastructure Grants can also fund facility design or engineering, staff time, modernizing systems (e.g. tracking, storage, information technology, etc.), plan development (e.g. Hazard nalysis Critical Control Point plan), and market development. A match is required for Infrastructure Grants and starts at 50% of the total project cost. However, if the main applicant qualifies as underserved, the match requirement will be reduced to 25% of the total project cost.

Equipment-Only Grants can range from $10,000 up to $99,999. This grant can only fund equipment (examples provided above). Equipment may be new, used, or refurbished. No match is required for Equipment-Only Grants.

RFSI grant project proposals must expand middle-of-the food supply chain capacity for locally- and regionally-produced foods and offer more and better market opportunities to small and mid-sized agricultural producers. This includes those who may not have access to value-added opportunities or processing to meet market demand for premium or value-added products, such as underserved producers.

To learn more about the program, or sign up for automatic email updates about the RFSI Program, visit the RFSI Webpage. If you have questions about the program, email RFSI@wisconsin.gov.
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Madison Area Master Gardeners Association: Gardening and Horticultural Grants

Due: March 1, 2024

The Madison Area Master Gardeners Association is seeking grant applications. Individual grant applications may request up to $500. Funds may be used for seeds, plants, fertilizer, mulch, tools, information and education of students and the community, and garden infrastructure, but not for paid labor. MAMGA will also support innovative and online gardening projects.

Grant application and submission information may be found on the Madison Area Master Gardeners Association website. Grant awards will be announced on or about March 15, 2024. For more information, contact Mary Collet at mpcollet@sbcglobal.net.

 

ICN Training Resources Exploratory Task Force Meeting Series

The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) invites you to be part of the initiative that shapes the future of ICN’s Education and Training resource development for child nutrition programs. This series is a vital step toward ensuring that ICN remains responsive to the evolving landscape of child nutrition programs and continues to provide valuable, up-to-date resources for child nutrition professionals.

ICN has scheduled a series of four task force meetings to gather recommendations and guidance from child nutrition professionals from these intended audiences: School Nutrition Programs, CACFP, Summer Feeding, and State Agencies.

  • Why? Identify and bridge gaps in training resources for child nutrition professionals.
  • Who? YOU! Join stakeholders in facilitated discussions.
  • How? Engage in practical solutions for evolving program needs.
  • When? March 2024
  • Where? Virtual – Zoom

Questions? Email dnbarret@olemiss.edu

Submit your Task Force Interest Form to be considered.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Jill K. Underly, PhD, State Superintendent
125 S Webster Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-3390 • (800) 441-4563