Community of Practice Call December 3, 2020

Welcome! Please introduce yourself by typing your name, position, and where you work into the chat box. Also, what's one holiday tradition you're continuing or adapting this year?

Good morning! Rebecca Ward, Acalanes SD. Making smoked sturgeon dip for NYE!

Welcome! Please introduce yourself by typing your name, position, and where you work into the chat box. Also, what's one holiday tradition you're continuing or adapting this year?

Hollie Hillard, Kitchen Manager, Sand Creek Michigan Making Cheeseballs with my family

Brook Stephenson, FSD, Santa Maria Joint Union High school-CA,

Good Morning, this is Noi Whitener from Chawanakee Unified School District Food Service Manager.

Janette Broda, NCDPI, homemade Christmas pickles!!

Mickinzie Lopez, LunchAssist - Cutting down our own Christmas tree!

My name is Alexa Norstad. I’m the Director of Programs and the Center for Ecoliteracy. My family is practicing a LOT of gratitude this holiday season. We started all the way back in March!

Debbie Austin Mountain view Whisman School District

Rosa Rubio from Calistoga JUSD 

Marisol Cortez, Temple City Unified School District 

Melody Rollison

Regina Salmon, Fortuna, CA

Polly Houston - Lennox School District

Stephanie Bruce, Palm Springs USD - Hot Chocolate bombs!!!!!!

Laurel Goins Lucia mar Unified. 

Amy Hedrick-Farr, Director at Santa Cruz City Schools. Making cheesecakes!

Good morning! Erin Primer from San Luis Coastal (FSD) - I love this time of year - listening to holiday music and driving around to see lights with my fam :) 

Lisa White, San Ramon Valley Unified

What is a hot chocolate bomb?!?!

Annie Aung-Wiseburn USD

Dr. Robert, Sant Clarita, CEO, celebrates the tradition of watching every version of a Christmas Carol.

Sarah Prince - McMinn County School District, TN

Stephanie, I want one of your hot chocolate bombs!!

K’Lynn Mitchell, Dietetic Intern, decorating my living room with grandma, will try to do a hot chocolate charcuterie for something new!

Cindy Long, Loleta School...making cookies

Jessica Shelly ... Director of Student Dining at Cincinnati Public Schools (OH).  Looking forward to Christmas Eve Midnight Mass (virtually, of course)

Suzanne Yamanishi, Food Service Manager, Southside School in Hollister, Letting my kids do the decorating this year (16 & 18 year olds)

Nadia Kelem, FoodCorps/ Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network, (Bend, Oregon) - virtual menorah lighting with my family

Jeremy Milarsky, Univ of Missouri / No Kid Hungry Missouri. We had salmon instead of turkey for Thanksgiving this year, which actually worked out well. :-)

Naomi Shadwell, San Marcos USD. Lots of baking!

Suzie King, Cotati-Rohnert Park USD, Food Service Coordinator

Gail Gousha, Hunger Free Kids, San Diego Hunger Coalition

Baking fancy cakes and chocolate covered strawberries

Melody Rollison - Food Service Coordinator Dixie County, FL

Marianne Heuchert, Office Manger for Food Service Dept (for Bethany Markee). For the Holiday just trying not to take for granted family time)

Eric Enciso, Director Nutrition Services, Colton Joint USD - California - Playing Games After Dinner

Hello! Amy Garfinkel, CA Dept. of Food and Ag, Farm to School Network Lead. 

Good Morning, Darlene Morrow, Prosser, Wa. Director. This year we put up the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving!!!

Antoinette Pearce, Assistant Director, Compton Unified School District 

Good Morning! Erica Lee, Student Wellness Coordinator, Robla School District--Christmas pajamas!

I'm going for a real Christmas tree this year, while there's still some up in the mountains where I live, especially after the horrid fires.

Emma Finn with Friends of the Earth here. I'm celebrating all the way across the country in Florida this year, so I won't be seeing snow, but I'll still be making a Buche de Noel!

Emily Cena, Director of Food & Nutrition, Ramona Unified School District (San Diego County).  Lighting Advent candles before dinner each night

Hi everyone! Rachel Waugh, Online Programs Coordinator for the Chef Ann Foundation. Candlemaking!

Micha James, NS Director, MPUSD. Rethinking NYE!

Beth Haas Nebraska Dept. Ed  building  virtual gingerbread house with my grandchildren.

Good morning from Banta School District!

Welcome! If you just joined, please introduce yourself by typing your name, position, and where you work into the chat box. Also, what's one holiday tradition you're continuing or adapting this year?

Hello,

Susan Delgado, Director, Mountain View School District - We continue with our traditional Danish Christmas meal on Christmas day.

Amanda Bast, Nutrition Coordinator for SFE in partnership with Ferguson-Florissant School District in MO. :)

Kristin Hilleman from Capistrano USD

Morning! Abby Halperin from the Center for Ecoliteracy. One holiday tradition: latkes!

Lynley Connor, COO  TopNotch Catering, giving memories rather than gifts:)

Geri Lorenzana, Mountain View School District, Nutrition Specialist. Charlie Brown Christmas special!

Julia Oberst, Coordinator of Food  Nutrition Services, School Board of Levy County, Florida

Hi everyone, happy December!  Christina Hecht at UC Nutrition Policy Institute. Christmas cookie baking! Candlelight. Appreciating our family & friends from afar this year.

MaryAnn Mills, Program Manager, CalFresh Healthy Living, UC

Joe Shumate, Director of Communications, San Diego Hunger Coalition. Making latkes and playing dreidel with the little ones!

Hello, good morning.  Lakeside California here!

Nora Stewart, Program Manager for Farm to Institution Center at Community Health Improvement Partners in San Diego, CA. I also love Christmas cookie baking!

Find out more about LunchAssist PRO here: [link]

Good Morning!  Melinda Murphy, Dietary Manager, San Diego Center for Children.

Our holiday tradition is to have A Christmas Story on for the 24 hours it runs on Christmas Day :-)

Anna Fisher, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, School Nutrition Program Coordinator. Looking forward to Holiday baking

Good morning everyone! Krysta from Center for Ecoliteracy.  I’m looking forward to making holiday cookies and cinnamon rolls!

Congratulations Leyla!!!

Congrats to Leyla and Jen!!

GAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! WHAT AN ADORABLE BEBE! Congrats, Jen!

Susan Dalandan, Lehigh Valley Food Policy Council, PA

Congratulations to Leyla and Jen!!

congrats Jen!!!!

Congratulations, both!

Woohoo!!  Congrats to you both!!

Congratulations, Layla and family!

Best Wishes to you Leyla, and Merry Christmas!

Congratulations!!!

Such wonderful news, ladies!  :)

Congratulations, Jen and family! She's beautiful!

So beautiful!!! Congrats, Jen! And you will be missed, Leyla!

Congrats Jen!!  She is too cute!

Congrats, Jen! Real hope for our future!

awww! congratulations!

Congratulations!

What a Beautiful Baby!

Congratulations Jen!  So happy for you.

Beautiful Little Blessing for the New Year! Congratulations!

CONGRTULATIONS to you and your beautiful family!   

Register for next month’s call: [link]

I would like that persimmon and apple salad recipe.  Sounds delicious.

See their recipe and newsletter here: [link]

Thanks Alexa.

Congratulations!

Christmas Hams - make it happen for your districts!! 

Wow Lynley! Really wonderful to see the great impact of Top Notch!

Love it all  :-)  You all are amazing.

So inspiring!

QUESTION: What is the limit on number of days you can served at one time in your State?

Thank you so much Lunch Assist and everyone!  Team effort always :)

California allows us to send out 7 days

CA is only 7 days per Gurjeet today

Will that push back all ARs a year?

For those interested in the P-EBT Extension resources:P-EBT Extension FAQs: [link]

P-EBT Extension Flyers: [link]

volume keeps bugging out

Brook, are you in California? it probably will, we are following closely any updates on ARs, stay tuned! 

Will Pre K be included for P-EBT 2.0?

P-EBT support has been challenging. We have parents who never received their first card. Local Calfresh offices do not provide support. 

for PBT .2 we should have new families complete the new form in order to be eleigilbe for it?

USDA FNS Documents & Resources: [link]

USDA Off-site Monitoring Fact Sheets for CN Programs: [link]

Brenda, where did you get confirmation about AltIncome Forms for P-EBT? We had heard it was likely they’d be accepted because they were the last time, but not 100% because a plan had not been submitted from the state…

Rebecca, there is a P-EBT Helpline

P-EBT Cardholder Support

Details about the Proposed Rule: [link] (comments currently being accepted)

You can take the Center for Ecoliteracy’s survey here to tell California policymakers about your budget deficits and why they should provide more funding for school food in the January Budget: [link]

P-EBT 2.0 will include children 0-5 (daycare), but USDA has not issued guidance yet, according to our state update from USDA on Tuesday.

Also families who had issues with birthdate or mailing address, finally received their card only to try to use it ...no funds. The P-EBT office shared the funds were there for a limited time? Anyone else experiencing this? 

No Kid Hungry Grant Application: [link]

Link to register for No Kid Hungry Grant Webinar: [link]

Hi everyone, this one is for you! Believe it or not, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) was signed by President Barack Obama 10 years ago on December 13th! Schools and school districts — YOU ALL! — have gone above and beyond to implement changes from the HHFKA, like incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables in meals, reduce sodium, increase access, update local wellness policies and offer healthier snacks. To celebrate 10 years of the HHFKA, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is showcasing the great work of school foodservice programs across the nation on their social media platforms! Please take advantage of this opportunity to give yourselves a shout out and be featured on the CSPI social media pages. Interested school nutrition programs should fill out this form by December 8th:

See the pages: [link]

[link]

[link]

Farm to School Grant Application: [link]

CDC Healthy Schools Partner Promotion Toolkit: [link]

School Food Service Safety Precautions for School Nutrition Programs: [link]

Thank you for sharing the CDC Partner toolkit!

Register for the Healthy, Climate-friendly School Food Webinar Series: [link]

Thanks for sharing!! foe.org/schoolfoodwebinars for registration

Thank you everyone for sharing your resources :) 

Kristin is a ROCKSTAR!!!!

@francesmontoya unknown at this time. that is the plan to include preK in 2.0 but awaiting USDA guidance.

Thank you!

Thank you for responding to that question Chef Brenda!

Uh oh

gumby-fy… best description ever!

Friday, March 13th is burnt into our minds forever more!  

Gumby-fy-- totally agree!

Miguel, I agree! "Friday, March 13th is burnt into our minds forever more!"

And that is the challenge!!  Well versed Kristin.  COVID Fatigue is real and our staff is feeling it more and more as each day passes.

Staff shortage is a major issue for us. Too much change and work and not even staff

Yes it is a challenge!!!!! We are burnt out!!!!

did Bob just say 'bumpin' butts'?  perfect!

Please share your stories, such as those Kristin and Bob are sharing, with your elected officials, particularly at the federal level.  They need to hear from you!  Call your representative’s office and ask which staffer has the nutrition or schools portfolio.  Then just send a short story with this type of information.  Thanks, everyone!

Good Morning Everyone we have been working outside since the pandemic started here in Los Angeles. Its been a change for everyone. But to see our families get there food and a smile on their faces its great (from LAAAE) Let's keep it strong beautiful people we have made a difference gumby-fy :). Positive thoughts helping each other, sympathy, love, understanding ect. so much we have done & still manage to do everyday, 

This midwestern accent is making me feel awful nostalgic for home. So great to have a diversity of locations on this panel!

Agree, Jess! Bob sounds like my Uncles!

such a beautiful idea for community empowerment and engagement!

Thank you Ana Grajeda for such a nice and empowering note! 

Staff shortage and short budgets are a real issue. Our state task force call on Tuesday had the USDA on talking about P-EBT 2.0. The program seems geared to an alternative to schools providing meals, can be used for virtual and hybrid school situations. The flip side is loss of income for school food personnel. It is an awful question, but Is there a point school food service goes to furlough, especially in smaller districts?

YAY for pierogis!

Yaaaaas!

you need to watch Gerry Brooks.  Y'all love his accent!

Everyone loves pierogis!!

Love pierogis!  Thanks for supporting local businesses!

Who doesn’t love pierogies!?

How did you navigate the vendor process in supporting local business? That is a real challenge in PA.

Please, I want a kale periogi!!!! I am from Maine & Massachusetts originally.....YUM!

@Susan Dalandan.  I used emergency purchasing in the beginning and now are on RFP's with local farmers.

Awesome work Bob.  Shout out from California.  

@susandalandan Thank you for the information on P-EBT. Hoping we can hear from other districts on your question about furloughs..

Bob Great Job

What a powerful shift in your decision-making process and the positive impact it had on your team!

100% agree with Bob. Covid has brought the team effort energy alive everyday.

Love stop making decisions in the office and start making them in the kitchen!

The kitchen is where it's at!

Very inspiring Bob!  Can't lead from atop the mountain.  Way to go!!

Ditto on the planning in advance. CEO of Land o Lakes says their corporate planning during COVID is a day at a time and think out no longer than a week!

Love your passion, Bob!

Collective and shared leadership is the best way to go!!

I have used CARES funds to pay for our emergency portable freezer, that is currently outside of our central kitchen.

“Prepare to improvise!” Is great advice I’ve been given :)

So great to see engagement in the chatbox, we love to read your comments! :) keep them coming! we will share the recording of this call and the chatbox on the follow-up email.

Great teams are the result of great leaders.

Let’s all get t-shirts: “A Celebration of Collaboration”

Are you putting all 7 breakfast and 7 lunches in a bigger plastic bag before giving it out?

Would love to hear anyone’s thoughts on how they’ve been able to show employee appreciation with the new COVID situation. We used to do holiday parties, but not an option nowadays. Anyone have any ideas?

We use a combination of plastic t-shirt bags and brown bags.

we usually put the meals in one bag, milk & fruit in another bag. 

That is question for Bob. Are people still serving a hot lunch at the curb?

We are doing a zoom Christmas Party.

MHUSD had custom water bottles made through Amazon. $3ea with our logo.

Thanks Vikeshni, we'll ask your question to Bob. If anyone ask any questions for the panelist we'll have time at the end, you can write your questions here or feel free to unmute yourself once we open it up for questions. 

I did a zoom meeting with all staff and we did a Vision Board project. Everyone was at home and we gave them bags with project items in it. We gave them Microwave popcorn to pop while we were working on our Boards.

Employee appreciation we took picture and put them in google classroom & on our facebook & instragram social media to congratulate our team as a thank you note. 

Frances - love the popcorn idea!

It was a break from the normal meeting/training. Just something to look ahead to envision happier days.

Yes, more frequent CN site staff zoom meetings have helped in staying connected.  Love the idea of a Christmas\Winter Holiday Zoom gathering. 

Thank you everyone!

Good point about Thanksgiving.  We are missing a few employees.  I can't imagine being off for 3 weeks at Christmas.  What will staffing be?

Can the panelists say more about how they collaborated with their respective unions? If it was already addressed, please ignore this =)

Can we ask our Ohio peeps about the policy in Ohio to serve more than 7 days worth of meals over the holiday?

CDE is saying they are seeking guidance from USDA, so it would be great if we could let our CA people know of another state’s ability to serve more than 7 days over the holidays

Anybody doing holiday deliveries to kitchens? Maybe delivering candy canes, cookies, or popcorn to staff? Sweet treats to surprise and delight?

That's a Great Idea!

Great Job to both panelists!  Love that we are all going through this together and can be there to support and share with one another!

LOL

LOL!!!

LOL

Truth!

Yep!

A sense of humor always wins the day.

:) lol

That’s Awesome!

Smile smile smile while we do this 

We are putting together a "self-care" package for our site staff for the holidays.  We are including seaweed from a local merchant.  Seaweed can be used in a bath or in a recipe.  There will be other products, perhaps local wine, now that I'm listening to Bob. 

Such a great idea, Miguel! 

So glad we got to "meet" Bob today - refreshing - thank you :)

That was a great article, if a bit stark! Thank you for putting yourself out there on it.

L to the third power :)

Bob is my new hero.

Stories can be so powerful. Thank you all for sharing. 

Love anyone from OHIO. Bob is now my favorite Ohioan!!

Great job panelist, Thank you

That's Awesome BOB! Thanks for sharing all so Positive!

Bob is the bomb :) 

Thank you Bob and Kristin!

Thank you Bob and Kristin

we are offering a winter break family meal box. on track to offer 40,000 meals in one day for the break!

Thank you, Kristin, for your amazing PP&L work!

Keep up the great work on PP&L Kristin!  Critical work!  

Thank you Kristin for all your CSNA PP & L work.

Kristin Great Information, Thank you so much, you and Bob are Great with all your sharing! :)

Great content today - thank you all!

Laurel, that's awesome, are you doing 7-days in one kit? 

AMEN BOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone pinkie swear not to tell!!!

Respectfully :D 

Shhh Don't tell.  So are we!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good for you BOB!!! Your secret is safe!!!

I knew BOB was like Santa Claus :)

Your secret is safe with us! ?

I worry about families have storage space for 14 days worth of meals.

Awesome Bob Shhhhh

Awesome! Thank you for sharing your and being so bold!

LOL

Kind of a shame we have to lie to do the right thing for the families

we have work under whatever weather is coming we are there with everything lol 

Agree with you Sally Spero!  

7 days in CA, but with a 2 week break coming and meal pattern waiver, portion size is subjective.... *wink*

right there with you Bob

Amen

We gave them cards and chocolate bars.

Good point, Michael! those are meal pattern waivers are huge help 

This was a great conversation!

I am having custom covid cookies made for my staff

Thank you everyone for joining us today!!

Yes! thank you both very much!!

Thanks everyone!

I am sure that members of the community would contribute to thank you efforts! Our community has a windchime in center square and the Chamber paid for the ornaments with workers names engraved on them!

Thank you Bob & Kristin!

Thank you, Bob and Kristin! A very happy holiday season to everyone.

thank you!

Good Job Everyone!

Thank you everyone! Take care and be well

Happy Holidays Everyone!! Thank you all for all you do!!

That means we need to have any new participents fill out that form in order to participate?

yes please!

I have the same question as Rebecca Ward.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays and Thank you

Thank you, everyone!! Happy holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays Everyone