Welcome to the 2023 Annual Report for the Urban School Food Alliance.
WE ARE SCHOOL FOOD
www.UrbanSchoolFoodAlliance.org
“
“School meals play a critical role in a child’s ability to succeed in the classroom and in the future. The Urban School Food Alliance uses the collective strength of its member districts to ensure that the quality and accessibility of school meals continues to trend upwards.”
Dr. Katie Wilson | USFA Executive Director
2
2023 Annual Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter from Our Leadership
4
About the Urban School Food Alliance 6
New in 2023
11
Events and Presentations
12
USFA Three Pillars
16
Strategic Procurement
17
Best Practices
19
Advocacy
27
We Can’t Do This Without You
28
Financial Summary
30
www.UrbanSchoolFoodAlliance.org
3
Table of Contents
LETTER FROM OUR LEADERSHIP
DR. KATIE WILSON
Michael Rosenberger
Executive Director
Chairperson
As we reflect on 2023 at the Urban School Food Alliance, a special thought comes to mind: convergence encourages transformation. By bringing together different ideas, backgrounds, lived experiences, and the courage to do what is best for our food system and food supply, combined with passion for our mission of leveraging our collective voice to transform school meals , the members, funders, and stakeholders of the Urban School Food Alliance accomplished transformational work. Coming out of the COVID-19 crisis, we were forced to look at things differently and break down barriers and silos to find new pathways forward. These pathways included disrupting the school food marketplace with a new, clean-label specification for a healthier chicken product that opened doors for small processors, while developing a better-for-you product to serve our children. This was a monumental task that took courage, patience, knowledge, and the willingness to be bold and go outside the lines in the established school food system process. But we were successful. We learned a lot about the poultry industry and will use those learnings to try again in an even bigger and bolder manner. The volume of chicken our
4
Letter from our Leadership
members collectively purchase can change the industry for the better – we must lean in and go boldly where others have not gone before if we want the system to include value-based procurements. In light of our first value statement of elevating environmental stewardship , we continued down the path of uplifting Plastic Free School Lunch Day in the fall and the spring of the year. Once again, our volume of collective use can change an industry. Single-use plastic is not necessary in so many places. We have to become more conscience of when we can do without, which requires both practice and new practices. From developing and sharing menus that do not need single-use plastic to writing procurements requesting reduced plastic packaging and requiring hotels hosting our meetings to abstain from single-use plastic in their service, we are making a transformational change in the way “we have always done it.” This initiative also complements the past development of a school food service friendly compostable round plate which was the very first initiative the Urban School Food Alliance completed as an organization. The volume of plates purchased by our districts lowered the price for all districts nationwide and has eliminated tons of Styrofoam trays from landfills nationwide over the past several years. In partnership with the Culinary Institute of America, the Urban School Food Alliance provided a week-long immersion culinary skills training for all member districts. This training was based on incorporating culinary skills and train-the-trainer ideas to implement plant-forward menu items for the K-12 meal service. Chefs and district trainers from member districts took the skills and the recipe ideas back to their districts to keep the momentum going to increase flavor profiles, incorporate scratch cooking practices, boost employee confidence in the kitchen, and bring students into the school cafeteria looking for delicious, appealing plant-forward meals. As the year was wrapping up and we were completing our fall in-person meeting, hosted by Memphis-Shelby County Schools, we were proud to announce the award of a three- year cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture to dig deep into school food procurement practices and rethink the way we do business. Over the next three years, we will be exploring ways to include all stakeholders in redefining how school procurement can be more efficient, cost-effective ,and supportive of community producers for a more sustainable, stronger food supply chain. So much is happening within the growing Urban School Food Alliance. We use our unique position of having a membership that consists of the people on the ground – in the districts – in the serving lines – making critical decisions. I welcome you to join us in this important work by helping us with a generous donation. We need your support to keep this all going.
Looking forward to new boldness in 2024.
5
Letter from our Leadership
ABOUT USFA
19 MEMBER
DISTRICTS
The Urban School Food Alliance is a data-driven nonprofit founded in 2012 by school nutrition professionals in large districts with a mission to change the landscape of child nutrition. For more than a decade, its members have worked to improve food quality, access, and sustainability in the United States. Their achievements include helping school districts adopt an antibiotic-free standard for poultry, even before many of the nation’s leading restaurants, and removing 225 million polystyrene trays from landfills every year by implementing compostable plates. USFA leverages this expertise and experience to share evidence-informed practices, make high-quality ingredients available and affordable, and advocate for policies that support programs and students.
6,480 SCHOOL
SITES
4.2M STUDENTS
ENROLLED
724M MEALS SERVED ANNUALLY
$926M SPENT
ON FOOD AND FOOD SUPPLIES
6
About USFA
OUR WHY “We weren’t trying to be a buying group, we were trying to be a market disrupter.”
MISSION
Leveraging our collective voice to transform school meals
VISION
All students have access to no-cost, high-quality, healthy meals
HOW IT’S DONE
The Urban School Food Alliance operates under the leadership of an executive director and board of directors and is supported by a dedicated team of employees, as well as an independent advisory council of professionals and community experts who help guide the work of USFA.
USFA STAFF
Dr. Katie Wilson, SNS
Jill Kidd, MS, RD, SNS DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT AND BUSINESS INNOVATION INITIATIVES
Lev Tmanov
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
IT MANAGER
Jeremy West, MS, SNS CHIEF OF FINANCE & OPERATIONS
David Burkhart
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
7
About USFA
Seattle Public Schools SEATTLE, WA Member since January 2021
WA
Chicago Public Schools CHICAGO, IL Founding member 2012
IL
PORTLAND Public Schools PORTLAND, OR Member since January 2021
OR
CA
Los Angeles Unified School District LOS ANGELES, CA Founding member 2012
San Diego Unified School District
SAN DIEGO, CA Member since September 2021
TX
Austin Independent School District
CLICK HERE to learn more about our member districts
AUSTIN, TX Member since January 2021
Dallas Independent School District
DALLAS, TX Founding member 2012
Houston Independent School District
NORTH EAST Independent School District
HOUSTON, TX Member since February 2022
SAN ANTONIO, TX Member since December 2023
8
USFA Districts
New York City Department of Education
NY
NEW YORK CITY, NY Founding member 2012
BOSTON Public Schools
MA
BOSTON, MA Member since December 2017
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA
PA
PHILADELPHIA, PA Member since October 2017
Baltimore City Public Schools
MD
BALTIMORE, MD Member since October 2017
Memphis-Shelby County Schools MEMPHIS, TN Member since September 2021
TN
DeKalb County School District DEKALB COUNTY, GA Member since December 2019
GA
The School District of Palm Beach County
PALM BEACH, FL Member since December 2019
FL
Miami-Dade County Public Schools MIAMI, FL Founding member 2012
Broward County Public Schools
Orange County Public Schools
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL Member since February 2017
ORLANDO, FL Founding member 2012
9
USFA Districts
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our board of directors is composed of school nutrition administrators in our member districts and interested professionals from outside organizations nationwide. Their leadership provides direction and oversight to Urban School Food Alliance programming and priorities, and their diverse locations and lived experience ensure that our work is guided by all members and relevant to districts of different sizes and settings. Michael Rosenberger Eugene Bradford directors at large
Dallas Independent School District Chairperson
Memphis-Shelby County Public Schools Board Member
Keith Thomas Ayoob Albert Einstein College of Medicine Director At Large
Stephen O’Brien
JASON MOJICA
New York City Department of Education Vice Chairperson
Chicago Public Schools Board Member
Troels Adrian
Greater Sacramento Economic Council Director At Large
Aaron Smith
Florence Simpson Los Angeles Unified School District Secretary
Seattle Public Schools Board Member
Paola Paez
Center for Food Safety in Child Nutrition Programs Director At Large
Amy Virus
The School District of Philadelphia Treasurer
10
Board of Directors
NEW IN 2023
As the Urban School Food Alliance continues to grow its membership, we are also working to grow our organizational capacity to support members, expand partnerships, and transform the school food system. In 2023, USFA welcomed one new staff member to the Washington, DC office and one new member district.
NEW STAFF
DAVID BURKHART | Administrative Assistant
David Burkhart brings years of experience across industries to USFA. Shortly after graduating from high school, David worked as an IT contractor for the Department of Defense. After several years of work in and around the government, he decided to pursue alternative careers in pet hospitality and health. David worked at pet hotels and animal hospitals, fostering an already strong passion for animals. While working, he also studied physics at Northern Virginia Community College and Virginia Tech. David resides in Washington, D.C. with his dog and hiking partner, Karma.
NEW MEMBER
SAN ANTONIO, TX Joined December 2023 60,000 Students 70 campuses
North East ISD educates almost 60,000 students across 70 campuses and is the second-largest school district in San Antonio and tenth largest in Texas. School Nutrition Services provides more than 9 million meals annually, and is proud to serve fresh, delicious meals that highlight Texas products and diverse flavors each day.
CLICK HERE to read the full story
11
New in 2023
EVENTS AND PRESENTATIONS
USFA IN ACTION
AASA, The School Superintendents Association #NCE2023 American Commodity Distribution Association #ACDA2023 LACA Main Event National Peanut Board Summer School Nutrition Summit School Nutrition Association Annual National Conference #ANC23 International Fresh Produce Association 2023 Foodservice Conference No Kid Hungry + School Nutrition Association Supply Chain Summit ASBO International’s #ASBOACE23 USDA State Agency Meeting
12
Events and Presentations
MEMBER MEETINGS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZbYP4uPeOk
FEBRUARY 2023 MEMBER MEETING LOS ANGELES, CA
https://youtu.be/WAErK-ylso8
SEPTEMBER 2023 MEMBER MEETING MEMPHIS, TN
13
Events and Presentations
EVENTS AND PRESENTATIONS CONTINUED
In May, the Urban School Food Alliance convened a one-of-a-kind group of school food leaders at The Culinary Institute of America’s Texas Campus in San Antonio. During the weeklong event, Alliance members participated in sessions led by top culinary trainers, on topics ranging from cooking techniques to recipe development and child nutrition history. In addition to the sessions led by a chef and registered dietitian, the week was rich with best practice sharing and innovation among district staff. The group represented a diverse mix of school nutrition roles and responsibilities, including district chefs, dietitians, kitchen managers, and training staff. By leveraging their unique perspectives and expertise, attendees co-created solutions that not only produced healthy, delicious food for students, but also resulted in production and procurement strategies that center around sustainability, equity, efficiency, and waste reduction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FowXBH8hlkU
culinary institute of America culinary training san antonio, TX
PARTNERSHIPS DRIVE INNOVATION “Bringing like-minded individuals together for this style of learning is paramount to helping move the entire institution of school feeding forward. People that are passionate about what they do, and have new approaches and ideas, but with a common goal can only bring about a successful outcome.” Chef Andrew Urbanetti | Assistant Director of Culinary Programs for Boston Public Schools
14
Events and Presentations
“
• Rather than individually wrapping or packaging items, place servings directly on students’ plates • If your schools offer a salad bar, serve vegetables that students can eat with their hands, like cherry tomatoes or carrot sticks • Store cutlery kits or utensil packets out of sight at the POS and only offer them to students who ask for them • Incorporate Plastic Free Lunch Days into your school nutrition promotion cycle In 2022, the Urban School Food Alliance partnered with Cafeteria Culture, an environmental education nonprofit, to host the first-ever Plastic Free Lunch Day USA. During the event, USFA members and hundreds of schools nationwide transformed their lunch lines for the day to help eliminate single-use plastic. In 2023, USFA grew this partnership and its commitment to creating a healthier future for students and the environment by participating in Plastic Free Lunch Days in April and November. Here are a few of the ways that our members celebrated and are working towards a more sustainable school food system with strategies you can use to keep the momentum from Plastic Free Lunch Day going:
“The Urban School Food Alliance is excited to see the momentum behind PFLD and build on the success of the last two years. Our members are committed to creating a healthier future for students and the environment. The ideas and partnerships that come out of our PFLD events are making USFA districts’ procurement practices, products, and operations more sustainable.”
By making incremental changes to reduce plastic, we can have a tremendous impact on the environment and our food systems.
Dr. Katie Wilson USFA Executive Director
CLICK HERE to read the full story
15
Events and Presentations
01 02 03 PILLAR PILLAR PILLAR
Strategic Procurement
School cafeterias are our nation’s largest restaurant chain. More than 7 billion meals are served annually through the National School Lunch Program and National School Breakfast Program and more than $18.2 billion invested in these programs annually. This puts school nutrition programs in a powerful position to transform the food system. The Urban School Food Alliance proactively works on crafting bids and policies that focus on quality food, environmentally friendly supplies, local sourcing, and lowering overall costs.
Best Practices
The Urban School Food Alliance was founded on the principle that school nutrition programs are stronger together than apart. Sharing expertise and experiences between districts is critical to growing the school nutrition evidence base and is one way we work to amplify the voice of our members. USFA regularly shares best practices at member meetings and monthly calls and continuously creates presentations and resources to share with school nutrition professionals nationwide.
ADVOCACY
The Urban School Food Alliance continues to support research-based nutrition policy and guidelines that boost student achievement and educate young people about healthy choices and lifestyles. USFA is a leading voice in the child nutrition industry, advocating for school meals to ensure that all of America’s students have access to high-quality, nutritious food at no cost. USFA strategically partners with like-minded organizations to advance its mission and promote research-based nutrition policy.
16
The Three Pillars
Strategic Procurement 01 PILLAR Supporting innovation in school food purchasing In October, the Urban School Food Alliance announced a new cooperative agreement with USDA to provide trainings and tools to school districts that will help them purchase high quality foods, while keeping costs low. The partnership builds on the Urban School Food Alliance’s existing efforts to strengthen and streamline school food procurement practices for school districts of all sizes. Through the new agreement with USDA, the Urban School Food Alliance will:
one:
two:
three:
Develop new tools to educate school districts on best practices for purchasing school foods.
Organize an advisory group of school nutrition stakeholders to create an action plan that will address challenges with school food procurement through the development of targeted trainings and resources.
Develop an interactive bid
template that will help standardize procurement processes in school nutrition.
PARTNERSHIPS DRIVE INNOVATION
“The Urban School Food Alliance appreciates the opportunity to work with USDA to improve the school food procurement process for all stakeholders. With procurement practices laying the foundation for obtaining fresh, healthy food served throughout our nation’s schools, we look forward to developing and implementing new tools to push for a more efficient and sustainable food system that includes supporting local economies.”
CLICK HERE to learn more!
Dr. Katie Wilson | USFA Executive Director
17
Strategic Procurement
Strategic Procurement 01 PILLAR
CONTINUED
USFA Local Procurement Miniseries
School meals provide important nutrition to 30 million students a day. The time is now for schools to be bold and creative when considering their purchasing power and their responsibilities in serving their community. The procurement processes used by schools can have a tremendous impact on the viability of local farmers, processors, and their ability to supply healthy local food to schools. In June, the Urban School Food Alliance hosted a webinar series with partners and industry leaders aimed at helping districts build relationships with local producers and increase local procurement in schools.
https://youtu.be/eKTF29hgJhM
https://youtu.be/mFouf2JbnHo
Part One: Advancing school food procurement: Driving values based purchasing through competitive solicitations - The Common Market
Part Two: Developing local food sheds: Community engagement - Ogallala Commons
https://youtu.be/zxpE-tQiiOc
https://youtu.be/22X1gobK-3g
Part Three: 10 Cents A Meal for Michigan’s Kids & Farms program - Michigan Department of Education
Part Four: Local procurement: Building relationships with local farmer - Minneapolis Public Schools
Procurement Self-Assessment Tool School districts that tailor school food service procurement policies and procedures using best practices from commercial food service achieve benefits in food quality, supply chain and food cost. Districts receiving federal funds through the operation of the NSLP, SBP, CACFP, SFSP must follow USDA procurement regulations, not Education Department of General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR). In December, the Urban School Food Alliance released a self-assessment tool that measures procurement strategies beyond compliance with federal regulations that can result in better food, controlled costs, and improved supply chain.
CLICK HERE to learn more!
18
Strategic Procurement
Best Practices 02 PILLAR
FROM THE FIELD: Urban School Food Alliance members face unique challenges in serving students in large, urban districts. However, their creative problem solving can inform solutions in districts of all sizes and settings. USFA works to showcase the incredible work happening in its member districts, so districts can learn from one another and drive innovation nationwide. The online USFA resource library includes best practices that strengthen school nutrition sustainability, student engagement, local procurement, staff training, food access, and more. Learn more about how USFA members are supporting their students, staff, and communities below.
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
IN THE NEWS: Thinking outside the lunch box: How Baltimore City is trying to make school meals appeal to students Baltimore City Public Schools is looking for new ways to meaningfully engage youth in the school food system and collect student feedback. Through a paid summer internship this year, food and nutrition services worked with high school senior Kamiara West, who runs a popular school lunch review account on Instagram, to learn more about student experiences, strategies to promote the benefits and offerings of school food, and select new recipes and menu items for the upcoming school year.
*Credit: Full story originally featured in The Baltimore Sun; Photo Credit: Amy Davis, TheBaltimore Sun
CLICK HERE to read the full story
19
Best Practices
Best Practices 02 PILLAR
CONTINUED
CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
IN THE NEWS:
CPS experiments with scratch cooking at more schools
story quote:
“When I took over, I wanted to bring back more cooking from scratch, [but] You can’t do it all at once, because you have to make sure you have the right equipment, staffing and training to do it properly.” “On the menu: Juicy burgers, on soft, whole-grain enriched buns with real tomato, Romaine lettuce and caramelized onions. Plus, tilapia filets, baked chicken legs and hand-breaded chicken nuggets, tenders and patties.”
*Credit: Full story originally featured on Axios Chicago
CLICK HERE to read the full story
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
IN THE NEWS:
Why Dallas ISD isn’t afraid to try new things
story quote:
“Rosenberger is perhaps most excited about a shelf-stable milk pilot the team rolled out last January across nine elementary schools selected for their demographic diversity. Housed in recyclable juice box-like cartons, the milk is pasteurized at ultra- high temperatures to destroy bacteria and lengthen shelf life.” “I’ve been doing this 30 years, and I’m not sure I can recall any single change I’ve made that gets basically a 10% increase in participation,” Rosenberger says. “It was just remarkable.”
*Credit: Full story originally featured in Foodservice Director
CLICK HERE to read the full story
20
Best Practices
Best Practices 02 PILLAR
CONTINUED
LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
IN THE NEWS:
LAUSD launches new food truck and meal service strategy for students, ‘No one can learn on an empty stomach’
story quote:
The truck will offer unique menu items designed to be fun and engaging for students, such as salad, fruit, hamburgers, chicken wings, tacos, nachos, dumplings and vegan options. “This new food truck amplifies our commitment to provide fresh and innovative meals,” said LAUSD Director of Food Services Manish Singh. According to the district, this truck is merely the first step in a full strategy of ongoing investments in fresh, healthy and nutritious meals for LAUSD students.
*Credit: Full story originally featured on FOX 11 Los Angeles
CLICK HERE to read the full story
21
Best Practices
Best Practices 02 PILLAR
CONTINUED
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
IN THE NEWS:
‘A hungry child cannot learn’: Miami-Dade district gets students to help with new school meal recipes
story quote:
“MDCPS staff regularly try new recipes and retool their menus to try to make the meals more appetizing, with a focus on serving foods that appeal to the district’s ethnically diverse student body. When it comes to adding — or axing — proposed menu items, the district turns to diners with specific tastes and discerning palates: its students.” Principal Sylvia Coto-Gonzalez gave the taste-testers their marching orders. “First, how does it look,” Coto-Gonzalez said in Spanish. “Second, how does it feel in the mouth? And third, how do you like the flavor? Let’s go.”
*Credit: Full story originally featured on WLRN | Miami-South Florida; Photo Credit: Kate Payne, WLRN
CLICK HERE to read the full story
NORTH EAST INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
IN THE NEWS:
A San Antonio school district launches unique, free lunch delivery
story quote:
A decade ago, the district retrofitted an out-of-service school bus, turning it into a mobile lunch counter. It’s back, rolling to four locations and serving kids up to age 18 whether they’re NEISD students or not. Like the other San Antonio-area school districts that offer free summer meals reimbursed with federal funding, NEISD makes lunches available at schools. But the bus is unique. “We just see it as an investment,” said Sharon Glosson, the NEISD director of nutrition services. “It just doesn’t serve as large of a volume as school sites, but we feel like it serves a need, to make sure that we reach families who don’t have access to those sites.”
CLICK HERE to read the full story
*Credit: Full story originally featured on San Antonio Express-News; Photo Credit: Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News
22
Best Practices
Best Practices 02 PILLAR
CONTINUED
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
IN THE NEWS:
New menu options on offer at the city’s school food test kitchen
story quote:
“Everything on the menu, the students have had to say, yes we like it, and if they don’t — we have to go back to the drawing board and figure out why,” said Lisa Davis, coordinator of kitchen learning and development for the DOE’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services, or OFNS. Story highlights: The city has a test kitchen where it tries out new recipes for school cafeterias The dishes, like pineapple medley rice and kidney bean rajma, have to receive approval from student tasters before they’re put in schools The menu included dumplings, a kidney bean rajma served with naan, and jollof cauliflower, a play on the Nigerian dish jollof rice
*Credit: Full story originally featured on Spectrum News NY 1
CLICK HERE to read the full story
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
‘Pay For Performance’ program This bonus plan was created to award Food Service Managers that exceed or meet specific site goals. Managers assigned to a permanent school are eligible to participate. Throughout the year, participating managers are evaluated on the following key performance indicators: FROM THE DISTRICT:
This best practice won the USFA Innovation Award at the fall member meeting.
Participation Onsite Food Cost
Health Department Inspections Training and Development of self Training and Development of staff
The KPIs are weighted and managers receive an overall score for their performance. Incentives are determined based on prior year’s budget and distributed according to overall scores, with managers receiving 100%, 67%, 27% or 0% of the allotted dollar amount.
23
Best Practices
Best Practices 02 PILLAR CONTINUED
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PALM BEACH COUNTY
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
Enhance Local Procurement School Food Service (SFS) continues to expand upon local procurement to enhance our school lunch and breakfast programs and reduce the District’s carbon footprint. In addition to using local produce, SFS was able to utilize the Department of Defense contract to further process locally sourced whole fruit into individually cut and packaged servings for our students. Highlights for the 2022-2023 school year: Reintroduced fresh green beans (which SFS was unable to serve during the pandemic) from local Florida farm RC Hatton. Expanded cut fruit offerings from April 2, 2023 - May 12, 2023
Watermelon - 6,911 cases or 331,728 servings Cantaloupe - 4,368 cases or 15,248 servings Blueberries - 2,502 cases or 125,100 servings
Piloted an all beef, “Fresh From Florida” patty from Miami Beef with a District-wide soft launch scheduled for school year 2023-2024. The School Garden initiative continued to thrive in the 2022- 2023 school year with 138 schools reporting a school garden initiative on their campus.
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
IN THE NEWS:
story quote: Study will help schools maximize student meal programs
Working with Philadelphia public schools, McLoughlin’s research team will identify middle and high schools that have varying levels of participation in school meals. The study will include assessments of existing school implementation, their successes and challenges, and reasons why students may forgo the meals. Ultimately the project will create and test interventions based on the research, designed to improve school meal participation rates. “We’re interested in hearing what students and others have to say about what could make more students want to participate in our meals program. Maybe it’s a campaign that would help reduce the stigma, help us modernize, help us to look at it with fresh eyes, maybe see an obvious thing that we don’t see,” Virus says. *Credit: Full story originally featured on Temple University: College of Public Health
CLICK HERE to read the full story
24
Best Practices
Best Practices 02 PILLAR CONTINUED
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
IN THE NEWS:
Seattle Schools Source Salmon from Native American Tribe
story quote:
Many school nutrition programs were forced to take a closer look at how they operate and where they source their food following pandemic-related supply chain challenges. For Seattle Public Schools (WA), that meant new opportunities to consider local sources to supplement shortages. Through assistance from Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE), the district now serves locally caught salmon for lunch several times a year from Muckleshoot Seafood Products, a company owned by the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. “The Tribe is from a rural part of the state and many of the members are fishermen. Buying 10,000 pounds of salmon greatly supports their community,” said Aaron Smith, Culinary Services Director for Seattle Public Schools. “We received a note from a student saying they never expected to get food like that at school,” said Smith. “To be able to expose students to new foods like that is amazing.”
*Credit: Full story originally featured on Tray Talk, brought to you by the School Nutrition Association
CLICK HERE to read the full story
25
Best Practices
Best Practices 02 PILLAR CONTINUED
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHT:
FROM THE DISTRICT:
In February, Food and Nutrition Services launched a new campus event series at elementary schools across the district - CaliQ, the new Farm to School Picnic Experience. The CaliQs are a fresh take on the previously provided Western BBQs, and invite families to enjoy a lunch with their students while learning about many of the programs the district offers and taste fruits, vegetables, and products grown or produced in California. The program also focuses on reducing plastic waste associated with food service and helps schools turn food scraps into school garden compost.
Read more stories like these online at The USFA Resource Center - your source for best practices, bid standards, district meetings, professional development and so much more.
26
Best Practices
ADVOCACY 03 PILLAR MEDIA APPEARANCES
The Urban School Food Alliance leverages the collective voice of its members to elevate conversations about child nutrition at the national level. USFA leadership and staff are frequently called on to educate policy makers, media, and the public on issues affecting school nutrition programs and students.
Schools are swamped by unpaid lunch debt, nutrition group says Lunchables in school cafeterias have child-nutrition experts concerned
USDA announces partnership with the Urban School Food Alliance
New rules would limit sugar in school meals for first time
New federal rules would limit sugar in school meals for the 1st time
New Rules Would Limit Sugar In School Meals For First Time
USDA weighs changes to flavored milk options in schools
27
Advocacy
YOU FUEL OUR CONTINUED WORK
The work that we do is not possible without the support and expertise of organizations that share our mission. This year has brought continued challenges to school nutrition, as programs navigated regulatory changes, supply chain disruptions, and funding strains. Through the continued generosity of our funding partners, the Urban School Food Alliance has been on the front lines of these national issues.
28
Donors & Supporters
GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
The Urban School Food Alliance is grateful to the following organizations for their generous contributions that help us drive transformative change in school cafeterias across the country:
Another thank you to the many individuals who have offered us support in important ways, including through direct donations. We appreciate you for championing school nutrition programs in your communities and across the country. Looking for new opportunities to give back this year? We invite you to explore the convenient, tax-deductible options and select a method of giving that best fits your needs. Any amount will help the Urban School Food Alliance create research and resources that transform food systems and change the lives of families nationwide!
CLICK HERE to donate today!
29
Donors & Supporters
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
2022
2023*
ASSETS
Bank Assets
$1,644,512
$1,017,263
Accounts Receivable
$8,875
-
Other Current Assets
$4,133
$3,446
Total Assets
$1,657,520
$1,020,709
LIABILITIES
Accounts Payable and Accrued Interest
$13,465
$11,103
Deferred Revenue
$171,000
$133,000
Total Liabilities
$184,465
$144,103
EQUITY
Unrestricted Net Assets
$1,054,359
$876,607
Net Revenue
$418,696
-
Total Equity
$1,473,055
$876,607
Total Equity and Liabilities
$1,657,520
$1,020,710
*unaudited
30
Donors & Supporters
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
info@urbanschoolfoodalliance.org
Urban School Food Alliance
Urban School Food Alliance
@urbanschoolfoodalliance
@urbanschoolfood
www.UrbanSchoolFoodAlliance.org
31
Donors & Supporters
www.UrbanSchoolFoodAlliance.org
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32Powered by FlippingBook