The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) is sending this notice to affected participants in the Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) in response to an emergency proclamation issued on September 19, 2025, by Governor Gavin Newsom regarding fires.
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued an emergency proclamation for Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties to assist in recovery from the recent Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit (TCU) Lightning Complex Fires that burned over 13,000 acres and destroyed or damaged over 100 structures and homes, including 50 homes in the historic town of Chinese Camp. The emergency proclamation authorizes the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to provide assistance to Calaveras and Tuolumne counties under the California Disaster Assistance Act, among other provisions.
Guidelines on Disaster Relief
For information on Governor Newsom’s emergency proclamation, please refer to the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom: Governor Newsom issues emergency proclamation to help Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties recover from TCU Lightning Complex Fires
web page
For specific information on CDE Disaster Relief Guidelines, please refer to the CDE Disaster Guidance for Child Nutrition Programs web page.
For information on disaster assistance and resources in California, please refer to the CDE Disaster Guidance web page.
For information on emergency resources from federal, state, and local agencies, please refer to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) website
.
Reimbursement Claims Submission Flexibility
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) can authorize the CDE to allow school food authorities, institutions, and sponsors to submit claims beyond the 60-day submission requirement. Claims submitted after 60 days, as a result of a disaster, are not subject to the one-time exception for late submissions. For more information on late claim submission due to disasters
, refer to the USDA Policy Memoranda SP 46-2014, CACFP 12-2014, SFSP 18-2014 web document.
For assistance with submitting your claim, contact your Child Nutrition Fiscal Service Analyst on the CDE Nutrition Services web page.
Use of U.S. Department of Agriculture Foods During a State/Federally Declared Disaster
Disaster relief organizations may designate schools as community feeding sites or request that schools provide their USDA Foods to other feeding sites. USDA Foods are to be released on request to recognized disaster relief organizations such as the American Red Cross or the OES. Information regarding USDA Foods usage, reporting, and claiming procedures during a disaster can be found in Management Bulletin FDP–01–2023 located on the CDE Use of USDA Foods in Disaster Feeding web page.
The Disaster Feeding Guidance for School Food Service Using USDA Foods can be downloaded from the CDE Food Distribution Guidance, Manuals, and Resources web page.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding disaster relief for the following programs, please contact:
School Nutrition Programs (SNP) & Summer Meals Unit
Malena Maldonado, SNP Specialist, by phone at 916-445-7359 or by email at mmaldonado@cde.ca.gov.
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
California Department of Social Services by email at CACFPinfo@dss.ca.gov, or contact your assigned analyst which can be found in CNIPS Download Forms CACFP-01 or on the CACFP Contact List web page
.
Food Distribution Program (FDP)
Augie Aguilar, Food Administration Unit Manager, by phone at 916-445-4850 or by e-mail at aaguilar@cde.ca.gov.