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October 2023

  • Alexandria School District switched from cartons of milk to a bulk milk system to reduce waste and save costs. Read the Echo Press article to learn what School Nutrition Director, Janeen Peterson has to say about this positive change.
  • MSNA President-Elect and Nutrition Director for Prior Lake-Savage Schools, Emily Malone, was invited to speak on WCCO-TV to promote healthy school meals as a part of National School Lunch Week. Check out what was shown during lunch tray show-and-tell!

September 2023

  • Minnesota is one of nine states that are picking up the tab for students’ breakfast and lunch in many of their schools. Hear what MSNA President and Nutrition Director at Tracy Public Schools., Michele Hawkinson, has to say to about free meals in Minnesota. Check out the CNN politics' article.

  • MSNA Public Policy Chair and nutrition director in Mankato Area Public Schools, Darcy Stueber, joined Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan and Leah Garden from Hunger Solutions on Minnesota Public Radio to discuss the start of the Free School Meals for Kids program. Listen to the interview here and check out photos here.

August 2023

  • Julie Kronabetter, MSNA Nutrition Chair, and Nutrition Director for Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191, is pleased that Minnesota is the fourth state to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. Read more in the Sun This Week article. 
  • "Since I’ve taken this job in 2020, every year it’s changed." Katie Wahl, director of nutrition for Robbinsdale Area Schools was interviewed by CCX media on free meal preparation.
  • MSNA Public Policy Chair and Nutrition Director at Mankato Schools, Darcy Stueber, spoke with the Mankato Free Press on participation in the free meals program.
  • During the Annual Conference, WCCO-AM radio interviewed past President Cheryl Pick on meal budgeting.
  • WJON-AM provides exhibit show photos and insights from MSNA members Cheryl Pick, Noah Atlas, and Michele Hawkinson.
  • KTSP (FOX) News spoke with MSNA President Michele Hawkinson regarding the start of school preparations with the start of free meals.
  • MSNA Member Sarah Motl and the owner of Deeply Rooted discussed plant-based option lunch options. Check it out on St.Cloud Live.
  • KARE-11 (NBC) News interviewed MSNA Board Members Emily Malone, Jess Pena and Chery Pick about sampled exhibit show items and preparations for free meals.

July 2023

  • Congratulations to MSNA President, Cheryl Pick, for receiving the President's Award of Service at the School Nutrition Association Annual National Conference (ANC) in Denver! Check out the other winners here.

June 2023

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture has allocated an additional $20.8 million in Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) funds for Minnesota school districts to purchase domestic foods (commodities) for SY 23/24. State agencies will distribute the 4th round of funding to eligible SFAs in the same way as previous rounds. Learn more here.
  • Winona Area Public School (WAPS) district served up food and fun for the summer. Check out Lunch Bus & Beans!
  • MSNA President-Elect and School Nutrition Director for Tracy Area Public Schools, Michele Hawkinson, speaks on the shortage of food service workers in this StarTribune article.

May 2023

  • MSNA Public Policy Chair and director for Mankato Public Schools, Darcy Stueber, was featured in a May 31 Civic Eats article, discussing her challenges ensuring students are fed, as well as her journey in advocating for free school meals in Minnesota.
  • Governor Walz proclaimed May 5, 2023 as School Nutrition Lunch Hero Day. School nutrition professionals, thank you for your dedication in nurturing Minnesota's children. We honor and express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to you. See the proclamation here.
  • MSNA Public Policy Chair and director for Mankato Public Schools, Darcy Stueber, was featured in a Civic Eats article, discussing her challenges ensuring students are fed, as well as her journey in advocating for free school meals in Minnesota.
  • Jess Pena, MSNA Nutrition Chair and School Nutrition Director for Red Wing Public Schools, has been appointed by SNA to be the Midwest Region Representative for the Public Policy & Legislation Committee.

March 2023

  • Governor Walz signs universal school meals bill into Minnesota law. Read what Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said, as well as learn about the bill's implications, in this MPR News article. 
  • Mankato Area Schools nutrition director and MSNA Public Policy Chair, Darcy Stueber, urged congress to fund school meal programs. Read what Darcy had to say here. 
  • In honor of National School Breakfast Week, Jess Pena, MSNA Nutrition Chair and School Nutrition Director for Red Wing Public Schools shares with CBS News popular items for high school breakfasts and how it impacts students’ health. Watch the video here.
  • Cheryl Pick, MSNA President and Foley Public Schools nutrition director, was interviewed by WCCO-AM on current challenges in school nutrition and details of the Legislative Action Conference in Washington D.C. Read her interview here. 

February 2023

  • Share your expertise at MSNA's Annual Conference: Submit a session proposal.
  • Scholarships are open! Apply for an MSNA Scholarship to attend an SNA or MSNA conference. The deadline to apply is March 15 at 11:59 PM, CST.
  • Two Minnesota districts were awarded the silver Turnip the Beet award for Summer 2022 meals. Congratulations Foley Public Schools and Lake City Public Schools! Read a full list of winners here.
  • Read MSNA's 2023 Position Paper

December 2022

  • Nominate a colleague for an SNA Award! Learn more here.
  • Farm-to-School Grants Available: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the FY2023 Farm to School Grant Program. Apply for a grant here.
  • Minn. could revisit push for universal school meals: Public News Service published an article on a reconsidered proposal to adopt universal school meals in Minnesota thanks to the state's large budget surplus.
  • Interested in attending MSNA or National Conferences? Two MSNA members, Lori Landowski and Vickie Speltz, share their experience attending conferences and discuss how important it is to always keep learning. Watch the video here!
  • In "No chicken nuggets? How supply chain snags are affecting school lunch," NPR marketplace interviewed Anoka-Hennepin School District school nutrition director, Noah Atlas, on some of the challenges that have faced his district.

November 2022

  • Angela Richey, nutrition director for the Roseville and St Anthony-New Brighton school districts and Cheryl Pick, Foley Public Schools nutrition director and MSNA President, were both featured in an MPR News article discussing student food insecurity and debt rising across Minnesota.

September 2022

  • National School Lunch Week will be celebrated October 10-14, 2022. Learn more & download artwork here.

August 2022

  • Governor Walz announced that Minnesota will expand the availability of free meals to 90,000 new students this school year. Minnesota was one of eight states selected to be part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture pilot program. Read more here.
  • Read the MSNA Annual Conference Press Release and check out the Proclamation!

July 2022

  • SNA Releases 2022 Supply Chain Report: Staying Afloat in a Perfect Storm unpacks the prolonged problems facing school nutrition and industry professionals, as well as highlights courses of action that districts nationwide have introduced to confront this crisis.  
  • Child Nutrition Program operators across the nation continue their exceptional efforts to maintain program access in the face of numerous challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the widespread nature of these challenges and their impacts, on June 25, 2022, President Biden signed the Keeping Kids Fed Act.
  • Planning Ahead Is Critical to Feeding Kids in SY2022-23: At the request of SNA leadership, the Association’s Industry Advisory Council members were asked to compile top tips for school nutrition operators and other school purchasing officials that will help them address and mitigate challenges. Check out their tips here.

June 2022

  • USDA allocates $943M to help schools buy local foods: To help address high food costs and supply chain issues facing school nutrition programs, the USDA is giving schools $943 million -- in addition to assistance recently approved through the Keep Kids Fed Act -- to purchase domestically grown foods. Each state will distribute the money, which will come through the USDA's Commodity Credit Corp.

May 2022

  • Introduction to School Nutrition Leadership: The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) will be offering a blend of live virtual instructor-led training and online courses that provide an overview of the management components of school nutrition programs. Sessions will be offered July – December 2022 and are intended for school nutrition program staff with fewer than five years’ experience as a director or those who may aspire to be a director. Read session descriptions and register for Introduction to School Nutrition Leadership.

March 2022

  • Meet Your 2022 State and Regional Award Winners
  • Ten Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 staff members and an entire department are being recognized for their extraordinary contributions to the One91 community with 2022 Community of Excellence (COE) Awards. Watch the video on these awards here. 

February 2022

January 2022

  • 1/25/22: Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan released their "Supporting Children and Families" plan, which includes funds to support universal meals in MN - a priority in MSNA's 2022 Issue Paper of legislative positions. Please see details below and response statement from MSNA president Carrie Frank:

"As the professionals working to ensure students get the nutrition they need to succeed each school day, our MSNA members have seen firsthand the benefits of providing free meals to all students under current federal waivers, which are set to expire at the end of the school year.  We know our communities benefit from healthy school meals and welcome the opportunity to continue to provide free meals to all MN students through the proposal outlined yesterday by Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. MSNA looks forward to sharing more details as they are provided."