March/April 2012

2010 Census Data Available

In February the USDA released the new 2010 census data to determine area eligibility for the SFSP. The release of the new data means that many communities in MA, or sections of existing SFSP communities, may be newly area eligible to have open SFSP sites! Please visit FRAC’s SFSP mapping tool or contact CNOP to determine n whether your community is newly eligible for the SFSP!

Summer Food Service Program 2012 Meal Reimbursement Rates

SFSP Kickoff 2012

This year’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Kickoff event was a great success! Sponsors from around the state attended the kickoff, along with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE, the USDA, and Project Bread. This year’s kickoff was centered on inventive outreach models that incentivize children and teens around the state to participate in the SFSP in communities throughout Massachusetts. If you were unable to attend, please note some of the highlights from the day:

• DESE discussed start up and expansion grant guidelines and deadlines, as well as the 2012 SFSP per meal reimbursement rates.
• USDA talked about their innovative SFSP Demonstration Projects, and announced the arrival of the new 2010 census data to determine area eligibility for SFSP sites.
• CNOP offered information about the following:
  • Project Bread’s site and sponsor incentive grants (detailed later in article);
  • Project Bread’s Text4Food Campaign, which was piloted in Boston last summer to increase participation among teens in the SFSP;
  • The availability of interns to assist sponsors with implementing SFSP
  • SFSP incentives and poster contest
  • New meals4kids.org website and updated resource sharing library
• Chris Austill from the East Boston YMCA presented on the Y’s efforts last summer to increase participation in the SFSP among teens.
• Jessica McGovern, an intern with the SFSP sponsor, Somerville Public Schools discussed how she worked to reenergize the SFSP in Somerville by seeking out free and low cost programming all summer long.
• A variety of resources were on display, including information from Farm to School, DESE, CNOP, bus shelter and billboard advertising for SFSP posters, and new summer incentives.

SFSP Incentive Grants Available!

Project Bread is proud to offer Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Sponsor and Site Incentive Grants once again for the 2012 summer season.

If you are a new or existing Summer Food Service Program sponsor you can apply for up to a total of $5,000 in grant funds.

Funds may be used for one or more of the following grant categories:

1. Become a new Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsor;
2. Create a new SFSP site(s);
3. Improve the nutritional quality of the meals you serve at your SFSP sites by following Project Bread's Better Summer Meals guidelines (available ONLY for sponsors who have not previously received funds in this category);
4. Incorporate locally grown produce into the meals you serve at your SFSP site(s) (available ONLY for sponsors who have not previously received funds in this category);
5. Introduce a nutrition education campaign;
6. Develop a teen outreach plan;
7. Offer a recreational program.

Applications must be submitted electronically to Dennis_Mercier@projectbread.org. by Friday, April 13th.

All grant guidelines and downloadable applications can be found here.

Check out these other available grants!

• The Food Family Farming Foundation has launched the Healthy Breakfast 4 Kids Grant Program. The Healthy Breakfast-4-Kids (HB4K) goal is to create and improve access to breakfast in schools nationwide as a means to lessen the impact of hungry children across the nation. In 2012 Food Family Farming Foundation (F3) and Walmart Foundation are partnering to provide 117 equipment grants worth $2500 to rural high needs schools for the purpose of implementing universal breakfast in the classroom programs. To find out more and/or apply, visit here.

• The Culinary Trust is offering grants to support culinary professionals engaging in activities that support the Chefs Move to Schools initiative. Culinary professionals may seek funding for any program that promotes health and wellness in schools. For example, the grant may be used to plant a garden, teach a class, promote or create a wellness program for students or parents or assist in creating a school curriculum that focuses on healthy eating.To find out more and/or apply, visit site here.

New Nutrition Standards for School Meals

On January 25th, 2012 First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced USDA’s new and improved nutrition standards for school meals, the first major changes in 15 years.

The new standards for school meals will increase access to healthier meals for 32 million children that participate in school meal programs every school day.

Changes to the school meal standards include:

• Fruits and vegetables offered every day of the week
• A substantial increase in whole grain-rich foods offerings
• Only fat-free or low-fat milk available
• Calories maximums based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size
• Focus on the reduction of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium

Key changes will be largely phased in over a three-year period, starting in the 2012-2013 school year.

Please check our Child Nutrition Policy page regularly for updates regarding the new standards for school meals.

National School Breakfast Week: March 5th-9th

It’s finally upon us! National School Breakfast Week is here and this year’s theme is “School Breakfast – Go for Gold.” Go for Gold will highlight how eating a healthy balanced breakfast at school helps students shine, both physically and academically. This campaign will help students learn about the importance of eating healthy and of maintaining an active life-style. The goals for this week align perfectly with USDA’s HealthierUS School Challenge, as well as with the First Lady's Let's Move campaign. Make sure to visit the School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) website for complete details on how you can implement this theme into your breakfast programs. SNA offers several tools and resources available for download, including: parent brochures, “Go for Gold” themed student activity sheets, and information on a T-Shirt design contest.

School Breakfast Week Also Means School Breakfast Video Contest!

CNOP’s second annual school breakfast video contest, School Breakfast –Eat. Film. Screen., also kicks off Monday, March 5th. Middle school and high school students will have 30 days to submit their creative filmography. Videos must be 30 seconds or less and should showcase the benefits eating a healthy breakfast at school. Entries can be submitted by individuals, groups of four or less, or by an entire class. Students will compete for a chance to win cool prizes like a $1,000 Visa gift card and the opportunity to have their video screened on WHDH-TV’s “Urban Update.” Additional contest information as well as the specifics on how you can promote this contest within your schools can be found here.

Summer Food Service Program Internships

This summer CNOP will connect SFSP sponsors with student interns, based on interest and geography. If you are interested in having an intern assist with your SFSP, please let us know which of the following categories you need help with: program implementation, administrative duties, food preparation, or an alternative category. If we match you with an intern, we encourage you to contact this individual and conduct a phone or in-person interview, as CNOP will not be conducting interviews or screenings with potential interns.

Also, if you know of a person who would like to be an intern, please contact CNOP and we’d be happy to try and find them a SFSP sponsor with whom to work.