Issue 7, April 2019
Hello ACDA Partners~ We are a little over a month away from the ACDA annual conference in Niagara Falls, NY. Hopefully, you have all registered and have your travel list of needed items to pack. One thing is for certain, don’t forget your passports! Canada is a short walk away; therefore, if you have the time, do not miss the opportunity to take in how beautiful the USA is from that side of the world. Most importantly, the ACDA leadership and I hope that you will attend this conference for the plethora of interacting, learning and sharing chances, you will encounter with those professionals who are living in the same world as you, just in a different state. They are experiencing the consistent change of those rules and regulations surrounding our programs. It will be at this conference where we can all learn how each of us are adapting to those changes. So, do not miss out! As always, it is a pleasure to serve of your President! See you all in Niagara Falls, NY!! Yours truly,
Ms. Gurule takes great pride on working with USDA Foods in Pueblo, CO, and is looking forward to networking with other agencies around the nation. As a TEFAP and CSFP Administrator, she is always looking for new and innovative ideas to better strengthen her program and get foods distributed to clients. Watch out the winning video here. Thank you to everyone that entered! We really enjoyed watching all of the video submissions!
On February 15th, FNS held their All Processor Call. Notes from the call were emailed to all Industry members, but if you missed it, here are a few points covered:
School Year 2019/2020 USDA Foods Ordering Schedule and Trade MitigationChild Nutrition Operations Branch is following School Year 2019/2020 ordering schedule. Make sure States know your correct Ship-To address before they enter orders in WBSCM. Trade Mitigation Products and Due Dates
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone May 5th – 8th in beautiful Niagara Falls, New York!! Carole Erb
CSFP Food Package Changes The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced late in February that changes are coming to the CSFP Food Package in November 2019. FNS has worked with CSFP state and local agency partners and the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to plan and deliver improvement that will benefit CSFP recipients. These improvement better align the food package with MyPlate recommendations and let CSFP providers offer more variety in each food package category. Changes impact the amount and types of foods that will be distributed. So now is the time to start planning. FNS has multiple tools and resources to help state and local agencies have a successful transition in November.
We are looking forward to the ANC in Niagara Falls! Be sure to have your phone ready for some fun updates and giveaways throughout the conference. As a friendly reminder, we launched our USDA Foods Event Calendar last year. Please continue to submit any USDA Foods Events, at either the local, state, or the national level. We want to continue to grow this calendar as a way for everyone to stay informed of events happening around the nation. In addition, ACDA has recently launched a Job Postings Board. If you have a USDA Foods related position that you would like to publish on the ACDA website, send that information to info@commodityfoods.org. Current job postings may be viewed here. This is free for ACDA members! If you are not a current member, sign up today! Don’t forget, we are on Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, and now Twitter and Snapchat! Make sure to follow us, as we will be posting conference information as well as updates during ANC. And, there may even be a giveaway or two on social media during ANC! We are looking forward to seeing many of you in Niagara Falls. Please contact me with any questions. Leah Sullivan
The context of the presentation truly highlighted the common purpose of each one of our partners, from the farmer all the way to the end user (our community). We are truly “Working Together to Nourish the Nation”. Again, I want to personally thank SNA for providing ACDA with the opportunity to share their stage! ~ Angelice Lowe, ACDA President
Thanks for Reading!If you have any eNewsletter ideas or submissions for an upcoming ACDA eNewsletter, please send those to Leah Sullivan at Leah.Sullivan@state.co.us | FOLLOW US!ACDA Sightings
Member Spotlight
Holly FriasTitle: Coordinator of Nutrition and Menu Operations Employer: Garland ISD, Garland, TX Bio: I am currently the Nutrition and Menu Operations Coordinator at Garland ISD in Garland, Texas. Previously, I served as the Menu Coordinator for Dallas ISD in Dallas, Texas. Professional organizations include: TASN, SNA and ACDA where I serve on the Membership Committee. I graduated from Texas Woman’s University with a B.S. in Dietetics and Institutional Administration and a M.S. in Food Systems Administration. Fun Fact or Quote: I live on 3 acres and raise chickens and goats. Tell us the benefits of being an ACDA member: ACDA has given me the opportunity to fully understand the USDA Foods process. As a result, our district is able to take full advantage of USDA foods, efficiently manage entitlement and better serve the students of Garland ISD. Being an ACDA Member, what do you especially like or appreciate about ACDA? I attended my first ACDA conference in 2014. I was immediately struck by how different this conference was than any other. Without sales pressure, I fully immersed myself in the learning sessions and explored the important role each membership group plays in the USDA’s food distribution programs. At future conferences, I discovered how invaluable the networking opportunities were and became more involved in the organization. This will be my third year on the Membership Committee. I absolutely love serving on this committee. I am able to see a “behind the scenes” look at how the conference comes together. Most importantly, this committee has helped me become more confident in my leadership skills. I realized that the “important” people are there for the same reason I am: to collaborate and strengthen USDA food distribution programs. This realization removed any apprehension I had about expressing my opinion and cleared the way for meaningful conversations not only at conference, but back in Texas as well. Thank you ACDA! The ACDA Education Committee is working hard to enhance the website Resources. Click the link to check out the new additions! Email Chris Facha with your ideas or submissions of training and other resources to be considered. Please note that the new ACDA Processing Manual is currently under review and should be finalized prior to the conference in May! Stay tuned for additional details on this exciting update! In addition, the new State Processing Agreement (SPA) form is updated and available on the website under ‘Resources’. ACDA IS GROWING ACDA is evolving and growing!The membership brochure highlighting all of the great reasons to be a ACDA member is available on request. If you are interested in obtaining copies to hand out at food shows or other events, contact info@commodityfoods.org |
Congratulations to Tanya Gurule, with Pueblo County Human Services for winning our first ever ACDA ANC sweepstakes! 
It was a pleasure representing ACDA during SNA’s Working Together: Partners with a Common Purpose General Session at their 2019 Industry Conference in Austin Texas.
In late February, Mike Birkmeyer, and fellow ACDA members Gary Vonck and Sean Leer, headlined the first general session The Supply Chain Challenges for Industry and Operators at the LAC. This panel discussion covered challenges the K12 market is trying to overcome such as accurate forecasting, production and transportation issues, and how the truck driver shortage effects pricing, specifically fresh produce. This popular presentation will be repeated at SNA ANC in St. Louis in July, 2019.
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