Events, Trainings and Resources
Registration for the fall NSLP Farm Fresh Challenge occurring in October 2022 will open soon. If you plan to participate, now is a good time to begin planning procurement of local Texas items. To learn more, visit the Farm Fresh Challenge webpage. Interested in participating but not sure where to begin? Reach out to FarmFresh@TexasAgriculture.gov.
MegaCon Save the Date
Join TDA for this multi-program mega conference in Austin, May 2-6. You’ll get updates on regulations and guidance, interact with peers and TDA staff, attend interactive training sessions, and find new ways to achieve program success!
Be ready for summer operations! View the SFSP Statewide virtual training description and registration information. SFSP training is a requirement for new SFSP operators.
A new feature is now available on the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) Mobile App. Team Nutrition is excited to announce that users can now view the meal pattern requirements per meal component for a selected Program and age/grade group while using the FBG Calculator on both the Web Tool and Mobile App. This feature allows for easy access to helpful meal pattern guidance to assist in creating shopping lists.
Action Required: Important Summer Change (New Texting Number 304-304)
All summer materials (printed and digital) that contain the previous texting tool phone number
must be recycled. The number has changed. TDA will be sending schools new posters (3 per campus) and parent information cards (1 per enrolled student) this month (February) and in March. This is to assist schools in meeting the federal requirement to ensure all enrolled students know about the availability of summer meals. Schools
must ensure materials are distributed.
TDA's USDA Foods Recipe Suggestion
Discover new standardized recipes for your USDA Foods order. This recipe book contains standardized recipes for black-eyed peas, chickpeas, pepper and onion mix, and kidney beans for NSLP, SBP, SSO and SFSP menus. Download the recipe book on the NSLP Meal Appeal Page.
Summer Meals Events Webinar
Mark your calendars for the Summer Meals Events Planning Webinar on March 11, 2022. More information and a link to the webinar will be in the March Newsletter. Attendees will have the chance to ask questions and hear from other school staff members that have been successful in planning summer kickoff and spike events. We are still accepting submissions for panelists who want to share their experience and expertise with hosting Summer kick off and spike events.
Sign up to be a panelist today at www.SummerFood.org/OutreachTool.
Availability of Supply Chain Assistance Funding
TDA is distributing Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) funds to eligible Contracting Entities (CEs) to be used exclusively to purchase unprocessed or minimally processed domestic food products in cases where CEs have experienced supply chain disruptions. Eligibility information regarding this funding is now up on SquareMeals.
The Texas Department of Agriculture's (TDA) You Art What You Eat art contest is accepting entries! The deadline to submit is March 4, 2022. Encourage your students enter today! If you ordered promotional materials to share with students, shipments will arrive this month.
Click here for more information about the art contest, digital resources, and to submit an entry.
School Breakfast Week 2022 - Materials are on their way!
SBW materials are on their way! The national paper shortage resulted in limited materials and extended production times for SBW materials this year. If you ordered promotional materials they will be arriving soon, but some items may be in limited quantities. If you were unable to order SBW materials,
click here for downloadable digital resources.
Do you have exciting plans to help students celebrate SBW 2022? To share your celebration plans with us, please fill out the SBW survey by visiting
www.SquareMeals.org/SBW!
ACDA Conference
The annual American Commodity Distribution Association (ACDA) conference offers federal-nutrition-program operators valuable insight into how to maximize their USDA Foods entitlement. This year’s conference will be held April 24-27 in Orlando.
