October 3, 2023 Tuesday at 2 Town Hall Resources

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The California Department of Education (CDE) hosted the monthly Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall webinar on October 3, 2023 for school food service operators, chief business officials, and community partners to provide an opportunity for schools to learn about program requirements for operating their programs and hear about best practices.

Links Shared in Chat During the Town Hall

• A current list of School Nutrition Program (SNP) Specialists is available on the SNP Specialist Directory web page or email SNP staff at snpinfo@cde.ca.gov​.
• Read the NBC Los Angeles News online article by Carla Rendon, Los Angeles Unified School District (USD) Rolls Out New Food Trucks to Serve Students Through the City .
• Read the Made Local Magazine online article by Evan Wiig, How Sonoma County Schools are Seeking to Replace Prepackaged Vended Food with Farm-Grown Produce .
• For ideas to celebrate Farm to School Month check out the following resources:
  • Access the National Farm to School Network Celebration Toolkit .
  • Visit the California Department of Education (CDE) Farm to School web page.
• Access National School Lunch Week theme information on the School Nutrition Association website.
• Learn more about California Crunch Week and available resources on the Community Alliance with Family Farmers website.
• Find indigenous recipes and tip sheets available in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs web page.
• Highlight your National Farmer Day activities on social media using #NationalFarmersDay.
• The mandatory annual procurement training is available on the CDE Course Catalog web page under the SNP tab.
• More information on the USDA Initial Implementation Memo: Child Nutrition Program Integrity Final Rule is available on the UDSA website.
• USDA webinar for School Food Authorities on the Final Rule: Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)–Increasing Options for Schools registration link. Note: The webinar registration is now closed and the webinar aired on October 5, 2023.
• More information on the USDA Final Rule: Child Nutrition Program–CEP Increasing Options for Schools is available on the UDSA website.
• A copy of the 2023 Farm to School Census Sample Survey is available on the USDA website.
• Visit the USDA Farm to School Census web page for more information on the Farm to School Census.
• Read more about Assembly Bill (AB) 1228 Fast food restaurant industry: Fast Food Council: health, safety, employment, and minimum wage on the California Legislative Information web page.
• Read more about Senate Bill (SB) 628 State Healthy Food Access Policy on the California Legislative Information web page.
• Contact the CDE Food Distribution Program regarding questions about entitlement, site additions, address changes, and adding new FFAVORS users via email at FoodDistribution@cde.ca.gov.
• For quality or delivery issues, or to make a produce request, email Genaro Cordova Department of Defense (DoD) Customer Representative at genaro.cordova@dla.mil.
• For more information about the verification process please visit the CDE SNP Verification Materials web page.
• Access Management Bulletins on the CDE School Nutrition Programs Management Bulletins web page.
• For questions about budget agreements or allowable costs, please reach out to the Resource Management Unit at snpcafefundquestions@cde.ca.gov.
• For questions regarding the Food Service Safety Inspections contact the SNP Unit by email at SNPInfo@cde.ca.gov.
• For any questions related to Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) and Freshly Prepared Onsite Meals, please reach out to our KIT staff at KITfunds@cde.ca.gov.
• Send your Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) funds questions to the SCA inbox at SCAfunds@cde.ca.gov.
• Send your Equipment Assistance Grant questions to the grant staff by email at equipmentgrant@cde.ca.gov.
• Chef Richie Wilim, Student Nutrition, Assistant Director, Vacaville USD​, Richie@vacavilleusd.org.
• Register for the USDA Celebrate Lunch Trays Many Ways Meal Talk webinar on the USDA Meal Talk Webinar Series web page.
• USDA Level Up Your Professional Tracking Webinar registration link. Note: The webinar registration is now closed and the webinar aired on October 17, 2023.
• To check out these fact sheets and additional food safety information including best practices, check out the USDA’s Farm to School Fact Sheets web page.
• Read the new USDA resource Menu Planner for School Meals available on the USDA website.
• Information regarding the California Green Ribbon Schools (CA-GRS) Program, including resources, frequently asked questions, and more, visit the CA-GRS web page.
• If you have any questions regarding the award, please email the CA-GRS team at greenribbonschools@cde.ca.gov.

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please email NSDTownHalls@cde.ca.gov.