Nominate a Colleague You Admire!

SNA has implemented changes to the SNA Awards program to make them more accessible and inclusive for members as well as make easier to nominate colleagues. In addition, self-nominations are now allowed. 

What changes have we made? 

• Eliminated some of the previous requirements to give more members the opportunity to be considered for an award.
• Removed the certificate requirement for the Employee of the Year (EOY) and Manager of the Year (MOY) Awards
• Removed requirements for a certificate or credential and service on state or national committee or board for the Director of the Year (DOY) Award
• Shortened the DOY membership requirement to three years.

Applicants who have any of the qualifications noted above will still receive credit for those achievements in the scoring process.  You will notice that the applications are now all digital and are supported through the awards platform, Submit table. This new platform will give you as a nominator the:

• Ability to nominate an individual without completing the entire application
• Ability to collaborate with others on the application (optional)>
• Streamlined application form(s) 
• Timeline of activities for nominees and state affiliates
• Ability to nominate yourself 

Nominations must be submitted online by Tuesday, March 1, 2022.  

Employee of the Year Award
Manager of the Year Award, in honor of Louise Sublette
Director of the Year Award
National Industry Member of the Year Award

There is no time like the season of giving to recognize the hard work of our colleagues in the school nutrition profession who go above and beyond. Start today!   Learn More!

SNA’s CEU bundling policy changes in January

What’s new: SNA is simplifying its Continuing Education Unit (CEU) bundling policy to allow for more flexibility and make it easier for SNA members to count CEUs obtained from applicable training.

Effective January 1, 2022:
• CEUs no longer have to be a minimum of 1 hour to be accepted for the SNA Certificate Program and SNS credential renewal requirements.
• You do not need to bundle shorter training sessions in the same subtopic code to reach 1 hour. However, a training session must be a minimum of 15 minutes to be accepted.
• Though not a requirement, SNA still encourages training to be at least an hour.

SNA  Announces New Lockbox Mailing Change 

Mailing in a payment to SNA? The lockbox address is changing on October 12, 2021. Please take note of the information below to ensure that your payment is sent to the correct address.

For payments sent before October 12, 2021, mail to:
SNA, PO Box 759297, Baltimore, MD 21275-9297

For payments sent after October 12, 2021, mail to:
SNA Depository, PO Box 719297, Philadelphia, PA 19171-9297

SNA is working hard to ensure a smooth transition to the new lockbox address, and we encourage you to begin making the necessary updates. SNA is here to help! If your school district requires an updated W-9 or vendor forms, or if you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]

 SNA Welcomes USDA Supply Chain Funds

SNA applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) distribution of $1.5 billion in supply chain assistance funds for schools through USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). SNA President-Elect Lori Adkins, SNS, joined Deputy Under Secretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, Stacy Dean in discussing the importance of the new funds for school meal programs, struggling with the impact of widespread supply chain disruptions and rising costs.

SNA’s recent national survey of school nutrition directors found virtually every program is struggling with shortages of menu items, supplies and packaging, as well as rising costs.

“School meal programs are paying much higher prices in the scramble to place additional orders and find new vendors when their deliveries are shorted, cancelled or delayed,” says Adkins. “SNA is extremely grateful for USDA’s ongoing support and regulatory waivers for school nutrition professionals as they confront supply chain challenges. These new funds will help school meal programs manage higher costs, while allowing students to continue enjoying nutritious, American-grown foods in school meals.”

According to USDA’s release: USDA will provide $1 billion for schools to purchase food for their meal programs and another $300 million for states to purchase foods to be distributed to schools. An additional $200 million will be used for cooperative agreements to purchase local foods for schools with a focus on buying from historically underserved producers.

MSNA State Membership Dues Increase

The MSNA Executive Board has approved an increase to the MSNA state memberships of $1.50. This increase will take effect in February of 2022. SNA will be sending out renewal letters to members that will have their renewal date for February that will reflect the state dues increase only. The membership form will reflect the changes starting in February for all new members. 

MSNA Members in the News!

MSNA President Cheryl Pick was interviewed by Jason DeRusha of "Drivetime with DeRusha" for a radio segment on "Eats & Back to School."

MSNA's Past President, Carrie Frank, Dover-Eyota Public Schools, was featured in the Food Service Director for speaking on her experiences in sourcing local food amidst supply chain issues.

MSNA’s Public Policy Chair, Darcy Stueber, Mankato Area Public Schools, represented MSNA when she testified in favor of HF1729. Read about it in this article from the Duluth News Tribune.

Darcy Steuber, Director of Nutrition Services for Mankato Area Public Schools and Ross Larson, food service director for Waseca Public Schools talk about the supply chain shortages with the The Free Press of Mankato MN.

CNBC's Shepard Smith takes a closer look at how schools are being affected by supply chain issues but continue to rise to the challenges to ensure students are being nourished. Stacy Koppen, Director of Food Services at Saint Paul Public Schools shares insights from MN.

Many schools are dealing with supply chain issues. MSNA Public Policy Chair Brenton Lexvold spoke to KARE 11 about what he is seeing at Red Wing Public Schools. Click here to watch the story.