®

Our Vision: Well-nourished students prepared for success	Fall 2023

Executive Board 2023-2024 Rachel Roybal-Rogers
President Dean Gallegos
President Elect Holly Valenzuela
Vice-President/Member Services Danell Dawes
Secretary Marie Johnson
Past President/Nominating Chair Kim Meeks
Treasurer Sonya Moore
Legislative Chair Shelley Montgomery
Education Chair Laura Henry-Hand
Resolutions/Bylaws Chair Chimene Quillen
Marketing Chair/Roadrunner Editor Neil Harmeyer
Industry Chair Amanda Mansfield
Region 1 Sue Eddy
Region 2 Claudia Martinez
Region 3 OPEN
Region 4 Brenda L. Smith
Region 5 Marylou Nez Begay
Region 6

EX-OFFICIO Janet Sanchez
Executive Director Rosalinda Sanchez
Processor Michael Chavez
PED Deputy Director Jerid Ortiz
FANS Bureau Debra Candelaria
CYFD, Family Nutrition

Fall Back to School!

Welcome Back to a New School Year!

Hope you all have had a great start to a new school year with the many changes and challenges of feeding all students free of charge. The NM SNA is here to support all School Nutrition Employees to have a successful year by working closely with PED to offer classes at the Regional Trainings and State Conference. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about the benefits your programs will gain from implementing the requirements of the Healthy Universal School Meals for Children Act.

NMSNA will continue to host the Townhall zoom calls with our Partners every fourth Thursday of the month to keep everyone informed on updates needed.

My goal this year is to increase the NMSNA membership, and the School Nutrition Association offers many tools to assist in recruiting new members. Some of the current campaigns are as follows:

·	 The Membership Starts with ME runs from August 1st through May 31st. Any member that recruits at least one new SNA member during a calendar month between August 1st and May 31st will be entered into a random prize drawing for the month that you recruited.

·	 The Fall Membership Drive runs October 1st through December 31st. The SNA State Association from each of the three membership Divisions that recruits the most, NEW members during the Fall Membership Drive will win a $250 cash prize for their association.
·	Spring Membership Drive runs March 1st through May 31st.

I look forward to working closely with as many members as possible to make this a successful and memorable school year for all!

Rachel Roybal-Rogers NMSNA President

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	1	Fall 2023

DIRECTOR'S CORNER

Janet Sanchez- Executive Director NMSNA

Happy Fall y'all. You all are in full swing of doing the work you love, feeding the students of NM and I hope you have a great school year. We held a great conference in June and thank each and everyone who made it a success. We always plan these with you in mind and would love to hear from you on any future trainings that you think would benefit you and your colleagues. You can send me any ideas by emailing me at jansan175@yahoo.com	With SB4 being implemented, there will be some regional trainings offered as well as more training and information to be shared at our State Conference 2024.

We'd love for you to share pictures of any fun activities you provided to your students during National Breakfast Week (October 9-13th) as well as any activities and promotions for NM Farm to School Month (October). We can show NM what great things you are doing and share these on our Facebook page, NMSNA website and future Roadrunner issues.

To keep up with the latest information, please visit our website at NMSNA.com
I am here to help all NMSNA members with whatever they may need from NMSNA. We have a fantastic board and as they have full-time jobs along with serving on the board, I am happy to be the liaison and get your questions addressed or point you in the right direction.

Have a great school year and “Thank YOU” for being a School Lunch Hero!!!!

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	2	Fall 2023

EDUCATION CHAIR HIGHLIGHTS Shelley Montgomery, Education Chair

The Annual NMSNA Conference is in the early stages of planning. President Elect Dean Gallegos from Rio Rancho will be planning and hosting this year's conference. The theme “Blast From the Past”. Get your big hair and bell bottom pants on and be ready for fun education classes. If you have an idea or know of a good presenter, please let me know.

With the passing of Senate Bill 4 we are looking forward to more education and training on recipes and scratch cooking as well as the rules and regulations of SB4. PED will be offering a grant that any school district can apply for to receive funds for new equipment, new improvements for cafeteria etc.

The Region Chairs are in the process of setting dates for Fall Region Trainings. More information on that will be coming soon. The trainings will be focused around scratch cooking and recipes.

REGION 2 NEWS

Sue Eddy, Region 2 Chair

Senate Bill 4 has left us with some daunting requirements as far as scratch cooking, education, food waste, sharing and being kind to our planet. This is a photo of what we are doing at Rehoboth. We use regular cutlery and trays. We are continuing our share basket and have added a compost/chicken bucket, next to the trash can. What are you doing at your school?

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	3	Fall 2023

LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS

Sonya Moore, SNS, Legislative Chair

USDA has opened registration for public comment on the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Simply go to https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/get-involved/meeting-3/. Anyone can comment. Comments are a vital part of this process and our voices need to be heard. Please take a moment and send in your comments now.

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service published a final rule on program integrity to ensure that child nutrition programs are properly operated and managed to protect federal funds and taxpayer dollars. The final rule impacts the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program, Summer Food Service Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program.

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	4	Fall 2023

THE LYMAN GRAHAM SCHOLARSHIP (LGS)

In May 2019 the world of child nutrition experienced a devasting loss; Mr. Lyman Graham departed this life after many years of dedicated service to Roswell School District Food Services & NM SNA and its members. Mr. Graham was a strong believer and advocate of 'feeding our babies” and fought long and hard to encourage and educate our legislators that Universal Meals is the way to go to ensure no kid ever went hungry in this great country of ours. With this thought in mind he made it his humble duty to attend LAC – Legislative Action Conference (LAC) annually to fight towards Universal Meals becoming a reality.	In his memory we have established the LYMAN GRAHAM SCHOLARSHIP that will afford a NM SNA member the opportunity to attend LAC to continue the work of Mr. Graham at his favorite leadership forum.

In his memory we had established the LYMAN GRAHAM SCHOLARSHIP in 2020 that will afford a NMSNA member the opportunity to attend LAC to continue the work of Mr. Graham at his favorite leadership forum. This will be the fourth year of this scholarship opportunity. Adeserving child nutrition professional will receive the opportunity to attend this leadership forum (in person); all expenses paid. (Estimated value of $3000.)

CRITERIA TO BE A RECIPIENT OF SCHOLARSHIP

1) Must be a member in good standing with NM SNA.
2) Must be a first-timer to attend the Legislative Action Conference (LAC) in Washington DC. 3) Interested NM SNA members will submit a one-page essay on the following topics:
a. Whom they understand or know Lyman Graham to be.
b. Why Universal Meals are important for our youth, not only in NM but nationwide? c. What do they hope to gain from this experience?
4) Upon receipt of the essays from eligible candidates by established deadline, the essays will be reviewed by the entire Board and the individual whom essay best coveys the requested topics will be awarded the scholarship. NM SNA Board will convene, select winner and notify them by February 1 of the award year.
5) Recipient will be required to attend full conference and go with selected NM delegates to all scheduled capital visits on the hill.
6) Recipient will sit on the Legislative Committee with NMSNA for one year beginning July 2024-June 2025.
7) Submit a report regarding their attendance to LAC to the NMSNA board which will be shared with membership in the next printed Roadrunner Newsletter.
8) Awardee must have Supervisor's approval to attend LAC.

CALENDAR FOR INTERESTED LGS APPLICANTS

10/18/2023 – 12/15/2023
Open Period for All Interested Applicants
Email or mail essay to be received BY December 15, 2023 to Janet Sanchez, NMSNA Executive Director 815 N. 5th Street     Belen, NM 87002 Jansan175@yahoo.com

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	5	Fall 2023

NOMINATING & FOUNDATION CHAIR’S CORNER Marie Johnson, Vice President NMSNA

I trust the start of your SY 23/24 is going smooth and with the blessing of SB4 your teams are feeding record numbers of our states students.

As we move into the school year I want to remind every NMSNA member that we need each of you to consider stepping up and stepping into leadership roles in the very near future. Have you ever thought , “ I would love to organize a conference because I have some great ideas… “ or “ I remember when NMSNA use to do this , maybe I could reintroduce this… “ ; then quit thinking and put it into action because we need YOU!

All you need to do is send me an email and I will send you all the details as it pertains to what it means to lead in NMSNA. If you need assistance in determining what skills/ talents you could bring , let me help you make that assessment and together we will get you aligned with the perfect role. There is a time commitment involved but the relevant leadership experience you gain makes it so worth it and if you have aspirations of leading at the national level - this is the stepping stone.

So all NMSNA members this is a call to action because WE NEED YOU!! Just reach out I am here to support , making a loud shout out to our millennials & generation z members , come on let's see what you can do!!

Membership resources for the Fall Membership Drive

What’s new: SNA has developed a new membership presentation for outreach initiatives, and it is an excellent resource for the Fall Membership Drive. Visit schoolnutrition.org for more details!

This revamped approach to the Annual Membership Campaign will have 1 (one) randomly selected winner each month from August 2023 through May 2024.

Participate in the Campaign

It’s easy! Recruit at least 1 (one) new SNA member during a calendar month between August 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024, and you will automatically be entered into the random prize drawing for the month that you recruited.
Don’t Forget!

Be sure that the new member you recruit enters your name as the Referrer when joining SNA using the print or online application. The new member must list you as the Referrer in order for it to count toward the monthly campaign prize drawing.

Let’s work together to build-up our state membership! Thanks for all you do to ensure the children in this state are fed healthy nutritious meals!

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	6	Fall 2023

INDUSTRY CORNER

Neil Harmeyer, Industry Chair

Back to School: Food and labor costs will continue to challenge K-12 meal programs in 2023-24
Finding sufficient and compliant products, as well as enough bodies to prepare and serve them, are top-of-mind issues for school foodservice operators in the coming year.

Creating food options that appeal to youngsters while fitting them into federal school meal guidelines at a cost that satisfied budget considerations was the traditional triple-headed challenge facing school foodservice programs.

While that's still the case for the 2023-24 school year, programs must now also deal with the added pressure of finding compliant products at reasonable prices and having enough staff on hand to prep and serve.

With pandemic-era universal federal school meal subsidies ending a year ago, the school nutrition community had already faced a challenging return to pre-COVID policies over the past year, which resulted in significant reductions in school meal participation in 2022-23 (as well as significant enrollment drops).

Except for schools and districts that meet the standard to qualify for Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) status, that means a return to all the administrative paperwork and cajoling of families to fill out the paperwork that increasingly frustrated school meal programs before COVID intervened. Now, the pressure is even greater as many districts struggle to find sufficient staffing and enough reasonably priced products to meet federal school meal standards for qualifying meals.

Labor availability and cost promise to be enduring issues in the school nutrition world for the foreseeable future, with smaller rural districts especially struggling. Already this past year, there were reports of schools having to close lunchrooms because not enough staff showed up to prepare and serve the food. In the face of this challenge, some districts have resorted to strategies like engaging or even hiring students to fill basic roles, tapping local culinary school students or recruiting staff from other departments—including teachers and administrators—to help out in the cafeteria.

Labor costs are also rising as the competition for the available workers from other markets intensifies. Meanwhile, unions are turning up the heat on contract renegotiation, demanding significant rises in pay for their members.

Then there's what's being served. The COVID period saw significant shortages of some basic products, and while much of this has since been addressed, spot outages still occur, frustrating procurement plans and forcing menu cycles to be more flexible and the number of available options to be reduced.

Scratch cook/ Fresh Food/ Locally Sourced

The school nutrition community prior to COVID had slowly been moving toward more of a scratch cook/ fresh food approach both to promote healthier eating and to entice more participation and customer satisfaction. That goal is now being compromised by both the cost of ingredients and the dearth of staff needed to prepare such meals.

On the plus side, procurement from local sources has continued to increase, driven by public subsidies and the sheer necessity to secure sufficient stock from whatever source. While in much of the country the prime agricultural season runs counter to the school year, this obstacle has not impeded efforts to work with area farmers to whatever extent possible. Of course, categories like dairy and meat are less affected by seasons and the traditional holiday break does mitigate the need for fresh product in the deadest part of winter.

An offshoot of the local sourcing trend is the proliferation of school gardens and even small school farms tended by students with guidance from staff and outside professionals. In some rural districts, students have even raised animals destined to be used to supply meat for the school kitchen, efforts that combine operational practicality with a learning opportunity.

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	7	Fall 2023

REGION 6 CHAIR
Mary Lou Nez Begay, Region 6 Chair

In 2010, I attended my first NMSNA conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico with our kitchen crew. I enjoyed our final banquet held at a farm setting in Corrales New Mexico. I really enjoyed the classes that were offered when I first started out as a food service worker. There were so many vendors that displayed their food, snacks and equipment, as well as other items related to school nutrition programs. There were many different foods and snacks we got to taste that could be used in the school food service program.

I have been a member of NMSNA for over 15 years now. I have always enjoyed the annual NMSNA conference and the different classes that are offered every year. By attending the conference, I have had the privilege to meet many directors, cooks, and food service professionals from many different areas of our state. These relationships with the many directors, kitchen, managers, and supervisors grew and when I needed help in the school food service program I could reach out to them for advice. Being a member of NMSNA has been a great experience for me, from starting out as a food service worker to becoming the supervisor and now director of food service for Dzilth-Na-O-Dith-Hle school. I have been able to earn my professional standard credits and maintain my CEUs. I have reached my level two certification and my goal is to reach my level three this school year.

I currently have the opportunity to serve on the NMSNA board for region 6 representing the BIE/Grant schools. Being a member of an NMMSA and attending these conferences has given me the training needed to stay in compliance with New Mexico student wellness and USDA guidelines pertaining to student nutrition in schools. I encourage anyone who is a food service professional in New Mexico, who has not had the opportunity to attend the NMSNA conference, to make it a goal to attend and become a member.

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	8	Fall 2023

Way to go ladies and gentlemen. CONGRATULATIONS ! ! !

2023 GOLDEN CHILE AWARDS Statewide winners announced for New Mexico Grown Program

Golden Chile Awards recognize efforts to connect children and seniors with locally grown food

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Grown Coalition, a network of state agencies, non-profit organizations and community-based groups, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Golden Chile Awards. This year marks a significant milestone as the program has recognized the largest number of recipients since its inception three years ago. The list of honorees includes 10 senior centers, 17 school districts, and 18 preschools, along with 21 food producers who supply fresh produce, products, and meat to preschools, schools, and senior centers.

The Golden Chile Awards celebrate and commend statewide efforts aimed at promoting good nutrition and supporting New Mexico's farming economy.

Representatives from the Office of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham as well as the Departments of Aging and Long Term Services, Agriculture, Early Childhood Education & Care, Health, and Public Education, will honor the 66 statewide winners in a virtual ceremony Wednesday, September 13, at 2 p.m.

“Congratulations to all New Mexico Grown participants for their dedication to New Mexico's local food movement. We celebrate your success and commitment to supporting local growers and the health of your communities,” said Kendal Chavez, Food and Hunger Advisor in the Office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The Golden Chile Award Program comprises four recognition tiers – Seed, Sprout, Blossom, and Golden Chile – designed to acknowledge varying levels of involvement in New Mexico's local food movement.

To earn a Golden Chile, applicants are required to establish edible gardens, serve locally grown food, provide gardening lessons and nutrition education, offer culturally appropriate nutrition and gardening instruction, and engage staff, families, and communities in New Mexico Grown programming.

This year, seven organizations achieved the highest distinction of the Golden Chile award for their comprehensive local-food initiatives. These organizations include the Lower Valley and Blanco Senior Centers, as well as school districts in Elida, Farmington, Roswell, and Santa Fe. Among the two preschools earning the Golden Chile award are A Gold Star Academy in Farmington and Future Generations in Clovis, both of which actively participate in the Department of Health's Farm to Preschool pilot project, promoting locally grown meals, edible gardens, and nutrition education and activities.

“It's exciting to see children across the state appreciate every aspect of New Mexico Grown food – from planting seeds in their school garden to eating fresh produce in their school meals,” said New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Patrick Allen. “We applaud all of the New Mexico Grown participants for increasing access to healthy food and nutrition education.”

The DOH's Healthy Kids Healthy Communities Program partners with the Early Childhood Education & Care Department (ECECD) to support preschools in providing more locally grown food, garden and nutrition education and physical activity to their students. More than half of the preschools achieved advanced awards this year.

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	9	Fall 2023

“Teaching children early about growing and preparing fresh, nutritious foods has lifelong health benefits,” said ECECD Cabinet Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky. “These programs are a golden opportunity to develop children's appreciation for healthy foods, learn about nutrition, and deepen their connection to the land and life cycles that sustain them. ECECD congratulates the early childhood programs who have earned recognition for their pioneering work in the New Mexico Grown program.”

The New Mexico Grown program awarded its highest amount this year, a total of $3.47 million: $2 million for schools, $300,000 for preschools, and $1.17 million for senior centers.

School districts, which serve thousands of students locally grown food each year, will receive more than half of the funds to continue providing healthy eating activities and education, working with students to cultivate edible school gardens, and serving locally grown food in cafeteria meals.

“We are thrilled to see so many of our districts recognized in these awards. These honorees serve as role models for all schools and districts in the state on the important connection between our food and how it is grown and the health of our communities,” said Public Education Department Secretary, Arsenio Romero.

The Aging and Long-Term Services Department's (ALTSD) allocation will help senior centers, including tribal and pueblo senior centers, buy and serve New Mexico Grown food in senior meals as well as fund mini grants and community meals.

“The NM Grown Program allowed locally grown produce and meats to be served at senior centers across the state,” said ALTSD Secretary Designate Jen Paul Schroer. “This enhances the quality and nutritional value of the meals provided to older adults. This year we have a total of 75 senior centers, plus an additional 21 tribes, pueblos and nations participating in the program.”

The New Mexico Grown Program ensures that farms and gardens supplying fresh produce for school and senior meals follow current food safety practices, and all food is safe and traceable. The food producers who applied for the Awards Program will receive an award based on such criteria as community education, food sales to local institutions, water and soil conservation practices, and sustainable and organic farming practices.

“It's always a win-win when local agricultural products go straight to New Mexicans, as it helps the livelihood of our hard-working farmers and ranchers, while consumers enjoy healthy, safe, fresh food,” said New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte.

The 2023 Golden Chile Award winners being honored in the following categories this year are:

Golden Chile (mature and fruitful program):

·	A Gold Star Academy & Child Development Center in Farmington ·	Future Generations in Clovis
·	Elida Municipal Schools

·	Farmington Municipal Schools

·	Roswell Independent School District ·	Santa Fe School District
·	Lower Valley and Blanco senior centers

®

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	10	Fall 2023

Blossom (program is reaching maturity):

·	Bumble Bee Learning Center in Sunland Park

·	Christina Kent Early Childhood Center in Albuquerque ·	Christine Duncan Heritage Academy in Albuquerque
·	Family Resource Center in Deming

·	Mid-West NMCAP Head Start/Early Head Start in Socorro ·	My Kiddos Too in Roswell
·	Serendipity Day School in Albuquerque

·	Western Heights Learning Center in Albuquerque ·	Zuni Pueblo Head Start
·	Albuquerque Public Schools ·	Dexter Consolidated Schools ·	Las Cruces Public Schools
·	Silver Consolidated Schools in Silver City ·	Las Vegas Senior Center programs
·	Rio Arriba County Senior Program ·	Sandoval County Senior Services
·	Zuni Pueblo Senior Center

Sprout (program is growing strong):

·	Creative Kids Childcare Center in Espanola

·	Isleta Head Start, Early Head Start & Child Care Center

·	Kingdom Builders Preschool and Daycare in Albuquerque ·	NMSU Head Start
·	NMSU School for Young Children ·	Ramah Navajo Head Start
·	Bloomfield Schools

·	Clovis Municipal Schools

·	Cuba Independent Schools ·	Taos Municipal Schools
·	West Las Vegas Schools

·	Adelante Senior Meals in Albuquerque

·	Albuquerque Department of Senior Affairs

·	Catron County Senior Services (Presbyterian Medical Services) ·	Deming Luna County Commission on Aging
·	Santo Domingo Pueblo Senior Center

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	11	Fall 2023

Seed (program has potential):

·	New Mexico Children First in Sunland Park ·	Isleta Elementary School in Albuquerque
·	Ch'ooshgai Community School in Tohatchi ·	Fort Sumner Municipal Schools
·	Hobbs Municipal Schools

Food producer awardees (a new award category to make its debut with this year's awards ceremony): ·	Anthony Youth Farm in Anthony
·	Bidii Baby Foods in Gallup

·       Chispas Farm in Albuquerque ·       Desert Verde Farm in Santa Fe
·	Elder's Greenhouse & Garden in Aztec ·	Frontier Food Hub in Silver City
·	Graves Farm & Garden in Roswell

·	Hacienda Dominguez & Chelenzo Farms in Cerrillos

·	Institute of American Indian Arts Land-Grants Program in Santa Fe ·	Montoya Orchard in Espanola
·	Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI) in Farmington ·	New Mexico Beef in Anton Chico
·	New Mexico Harvest in Albuquerque ·	Nichols Ranch & Orchards in La Luz
·	North Valley Organics in Albuquerque ·	RJ's Legacy in Shiprock
·	San Juan College Harve

·	st Food Hub in Farmington

·	Santa Fe Community College Greenhouse ·	Silver Leaf Farms in Corrales
·       The Veggie Shack in Portales ·       Twin Rivers Farm in Roswell

Elida Schools NM Grown

Las Cruces Schools NM Grown

RoadRunner: NMSNA Newsletter	12	Fall 2023