On Wednesday, May 16^th 2012, USDA launched their new “Together We Can” Partnership Series for community and faith-based organizations. This webinar program shares opportunities to collaborate with USDA to help those in need in your community. It equips organizations with introductory knowledge, best practices, and contact information to help your organization understand and access USDA nutrition assistance programs.

We would like to invite you and your colleagues to these one-hour training sessions covering topics such as providing summer meals, teaching nutrition education, and building local food systems. You can attend all of the sessions, or join the ones most relevant to your organization and community. We encourage you to share this invitation with others!

Webinar Schedule:

Together We Can Feed Kids During the Summer – Wednesday, May 30^th at 2pm EDT

Together We Can Put Healthy and Affordable Food on the Table – Wednesday, June 20^th at 2pm EDT

Together We Can Teach About Nutritious Cooking and Eating – Wednesday, July 25^th at 2pm EDT

Together We Can Build Local and Regional Food Systems – Wednesday, August 29^th at 2pm EDT

Together We Can Feed Kids After School – Wednesday, September 26^th at 2pm EDT

Together We Can Build our Partnership: More Opportunities to work with USDA – Wednesday, October 31^st at 2pm EDT

Webinar Participation and Registration

These sessions will be available via Microsoft Office LiveMeeting (Webinar) and are free of charge for all participants.  You will need access to a phone line and a computer with internet access to participate.  Please note that you must register for the webinar to receive additional information. You’ll find more information about the series and registration here.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the webinar, please contact us by emailing collaborate@usda.gov or via phone at (202) 720-2032.

This film is part of an ongoing partnership between Food Network and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign to end childhood hunger in America. “Hunger Hits Home” shows today’s face of hunger through the lives of three hardworking families struggling to make ends meet.

At the same time, the film highlights America’s hunger heroes who are hard at work on a solution, including a determined food pantry founder who makes the battle personal and an elementary school principal who refuses to let his students go hungry. It documents the hard work of government officials and non-profit leaders who are moving mountains to mobilize necessary resources. And it outlines the path for you to join the fight.

The documentary also profiles hunger heroes who are involved in the No Kid Hungry campaign, like Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who shares: “Our nation should be able to feed our children and if we can’t do that there’s not a lot of hope for anything else we hope to do as a people.”

For more information, and to view the documentary, visit FoodNetwork.com/hungry.

Data Search Webinar: The user-friendly guide to FNS’ publicly available data

Thursday, 3/15/2012, 2:00pm – 3:00pm Eastern Time  

Registration Link: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g4de99

Session Description: Data is often a key component to deciding how to direct your organization’s efforts. This webinar will help you determine where the data is and how you can utilize it to further your mission.

Participation:  The session will be available via Microsoft Office LiveMeeting (Webinar) and is free for all participants.  You will need access to a phone line and a computer with internet access for this webinar.  To participate, please complete the online registration.  Further information will be forthcoming to registered participants.  You must register to receive additional information. Connection instructions will be sent prior to the session in which you register for, to the email address you provide in the registration.

Other Webinar Sessions: Please be sure to register for the upcoming webinars in the Outreach Coalition Webinar Series.  There will be additional sessions added to the schedule in the near future.  Please check the registration page for additional sessions.

Upcoming Outreach Coalition Webinar Sessions: 
Thursday, 4/19, 2:00pm – 3:00pm EST – FNS 101 webinar, an overview of FNS programs
Thursday, 5/17, 2:00pm – 3:00pm EST – Innovative Outreach webinar, unique strategies being used by communities to combat hunger
Thursday, 6/21, 2:00pm – 3:00pm EST – Tips on Increasing Access for Older Adults webinar, tips for older adults to access food and food nutrition information

Thursday, 7/19, 2:00 – 3:00pm EST – Capacity Building Guides: National Hunger Clearinghouse webinar. Learn how to increase your effectiveness in the community with your anti-hunger efforts.

Recording: This session will be recorded and posted online and on-demand soon following the completion of the webinar. All sessions will be posted on the USDA FNS Outreach Coalition Program website: http://www.fns.usda.gov/outreach/coalition.

If you are not already registered with the Outreach Coalition, register here: https://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g4d4c4

Questions?

If you have any questions about the content of this webinar, please contact:

Ray Magee

USDA FNS

Raymond.Magee@fns.usda.gov

703.305.2657

USDA FNS 2012 Summer Food Service Program Introductory Webinar

Join the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to learn more about how you can help feed children this summer through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)!  These sessions include an overview of the program, resources and tools available to help get started, successful outreach practices, and other tips about how to get involved.

March 8,  3– 4:00pm*

March 13, 11:00am – 12:00pm*

March 21, 1– 2:00pm*

March 27, 4– 5:00pm*

*Eastern Standard Time

Register at:

http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g4d8da

Please note this webinar will be in English. A previously recorded Spanish version of this webinar is available at: http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/webinar.htm

The Summit is being held in conjunction with the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and Feeding America’s National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, which begins on Sunday, February 26, 2012.  This is another critical event for advocates committed to ending hunger in the United States, and we’ve worked closely with FRAC and Feeding America to make sure the two events are complementary.  You can find more information about the Anti-Hunger Policy Conference at www.antihungerpolicyconference.org.

Speakers include:

• Former Congresswoman Eva Clayton
• Ambassador Tony Hall, Alliance to End Hunger
• Rosemary Johnston, Maryland Governor’s Office on Children
• Jeremy Everett, Texas Hunger Initiative
• Dave Miner, Indianapolis Food Resource Network

And many more!

Representatives will attend from anti-hunger coalitions nationwide, including:

California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and more!

Register Now!

As was the case last year, The National Hunger Free Communities Summit is being held in conjunction with FRAC and Feeding America’s National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, which begins on Sunday, February 26, 2012. Like last year, need-based scholarships are once again being offered for travel to the Summit. Applications can be found at http://www.hungerfreecommunities.org/summit/scholarships/.  This year, a few additions have been made to the program.

For the first time, Innovation Awards are being offered to our Hunger Free Communities. These Innovation Awards are open to any Hunger Free Community. With a particular practice of which they are proud and a complete application (found at http://www.hungerfreecommunities.org/summit/innovation-awards/), any organization can win. These entries will be judged by the staff of the Alliance to End Hunger. The awards will go to those communities that have the most creative solutions to addressing hunger. Awardees are given the opportunity to present their ideas to the Summit during a special luncheon panel, allowing other important anti-hunger advocates to see what exciting things their organizations are doing.

On top of the Innovation Awards, the Alliance is especially excited about the speakers for the conference. One of the goals of the conference is to present diverse, pertinent information to each attendee. This year’s speakers, including Former Congresswoman Eva Clayton, Ambassador Tony Hall of the Alliance to End Hunger, Rosemary Johnston of Maryland Governor’s Office on Children, Jeremy Everett of the Texas Hunger Initiative, Dave Miner of Indianapolis Food Resource Network, and many more, will do just that.

In continuing with their goal to end domestic hunger, the Alliance is bringing together individuals from across the United States. Attendees will represent anti-hunger coalitions located nationwide, including: California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and more! The Alliance hopes that the Summit will continue building the political will to end hunger in each of the United States. With over 20 states currently represented, many coalitions will benefit from this networking opportunity.

Just a few weeks remain until the National Hunger Free Communities Summit on February 25, 2012. Registration is filling up rapidly and closes on February 13. To register, click here. Please visit the Hunger Free Communities website at hungerfreecommnities.org/summit to register, view the latest agenda, get travel information, and more. If you have any questions about registration for the Summit, please contact Nicole Washington.

Maryland Hunger Solutions and the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland (the “Partnership”) experienced one particular challenge in its work to implement the Afterschool Meal Program in the eight Hunger-Free Community (HFC) counties and statewide: confusion between local health departments and potential afterschool sites concerning the documentation needed to operate the Afterschool Meal Program. The first example brought to our attention involved the Boys and Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County (BGCAA). Sponsored by the Maryland Food Bank, BGCAA has six sites throughout Anne Arundel County and provides programming to more than 2,400 children each year. All of the BGCAA sites participated in the Summer Food Service Program and were anxious to begin participating in the Afterschool Meal Program, through which the sites could provide a healthy supper to the more than 300 children enrolled in their afterschool programs.

BGCAA arranged for the hot meals to be provided to each site by a licensed, approved vendor contracted by the Maryland Food Bank. The Maryland Food Bank then worked with the Maryland State Department of Education to temporarily approve the six sites to begin serving suppers while BGCAA completed the application process. However, during a review of the sites by the local health department, the health inspector found that all but one site did not have a three-compartment sink and other commercial grade equipment necessary to operate the program. As a result, the health department required that all six sites immediately stop serving meals through the Afterschool Meal Program.

Confused by the requirements, BGCAA and the Maryland Food Bank approached Maryland Hunger Solutions. Since no food was being prepared on-site, BGCAA and the Maryland Food Bank could not determine the reason for the site closings. After learning that similar problems were affecting a number of jurisdictions across the state, Maryland Hunger Solutions determined that more intense training targeted to local health inspectors on the Afterschool Meal Program was needed to clarify how the program operated.

Maryland Hunger Solutions worked with the State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH, which oversees environmental health in Maryland) to review the current regulations and determine how to provide clear guidance on what was required to operate the meal program to both local health departments and afterschool programs. Maryland Hunger Solutions and DHMH developed new materials, including: a checklist for both health departments and programs to follow in completing the application process; a guide to currently existing regulations; and a flow chart to help health departments identify what type of afterschool meal delivery systems they are evaluating. Maryland Hunger Solutions and DHMH attended statewide and regional meetings with local health officers and inspectors to provide trainings on the Afterschool Meal Program, and to disseminate our easy-to-understand materials.

A solution for the challenge BGCAA and the Maryland Food Bank were facing was created through discussions with DHMH. According to Maryland regulations, if any food preparation or serving item needed to be washed at the program site, a three-compartment, sanitizing sink was required. Previously, BGCAA received the food from the vendor, served the meals to the children, and then rinsed the serving dishes and utensils before returning to the vendor. Since no food was being prepared on-site, DHMH agreed that if the vendor changed its model and didn’t require the site to rinse any pans or serving utensils prior to returning, then a three-compartment sink would not be required. Maryland Food Bank discussed the change with their vendor, who agreed to adjust its model. BGCAA then reapplied to their local health department, using the checklist we developed with DHMH to explain their new meal delivery method and the proper procedures for handling the food service items. Since the local health department had participated in the statewide trainings held by MDHS and DHMH, they were familiar with the checklist and were able to easily understand the serving model proposed by BGCAA. The health department quickly approved BGCAA for food service.

As a result of our efforts, and the hard work of DHMH, MSDE, and the Maryland Food Bank, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County are again serving the hot suppers that so many of their children and parents have come to rely on in this time of particular economic hardship.

To learn more about the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in Maryland please visit www.nokidhungrymd.org.

Registration Link:

https://frac.peachnewmedia.com/store/seminar/seminar.php?seminar=9706

Moderator: 
Food Research and Action Center

Where: Information will be sent to registrants (1:00 PM Eastern 12:00 PM Central, 11:00 AM Mountain, 10:00 AM Pacific)

When:
Thrusday November 3, 2011
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM EST / 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM PST

Hunger Action Month: What New Data Tells Us About Hunger and Ways the Faith Community is Taking Action

Date: September 23, 2011
Time: 2:00 PM EST

Register: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g4c69d

Join the conversation with:

• David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World
• Vicki Escarra, President & CEO, Feeding America
• Josh Protas, Vice President and Director of the Washington Office, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
• Max Finberg, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

Don’t miss this important dialogue about what different faith communities are doing and actions you can take to build stronger anti-hunger efforts in your community through direct service and advocacy.

Take Action:

To learn more about Hunger Action Month, please visithttp://hungeractionmonth.org/faith.aspx. Find out what you can do to fight hunger – get involved this month and throughout the year!

Register: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g4c69d

The Food and Nutrition Service, the National Education Association Health Information Network, and Share Our Strength invite you to a webinar, “Success Stories and Strategies for Expanding School Breakfast” on Wednesday, September 28 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Guest speakers on the webinar include:

• Representatives from Share Our Strength and the National Education Association Health Information Network, who will discuss their new publication, “Start School with Breakfast: A Guide to Increasing School Breakfast Participation.” This publication promotes alternative breakfast service models—breakfast in the classroom, grab n’ go and 2^nd chance breakfast, among others—to educators, school professionals and those associated with the school community.

• Tharyn Mulberry, Principal at Centennial High School in Pueblo, Colorado, who will discuss his school’s success in expanding School Breakfast. Centennial won the top prize in the Colorado School Breakfast Challenge last year for having the largest increase in School Breakfast participation.

• Beth Shakan, Meade Middle School in Fort Meade, Maryland, who will discuss the school’s recent grant from the First Class Breakfast Initiative, which encourages schools to address barriers to incorporating breakfast into the school day by adopting alternative ways of delivering breakfast such as serving breakfast in the classroom and offering “Grab and Go” meal options.

• Cathy Koehler, from the Little Rock Education Association in Little Rock, Arkansas, who will discuss the Little Rock School District’s implementation of Breakfast in the Classroom in 15 schools.

This session will be available via Microsoft Office LiveMeeting (Webinar) and is free for all participants.  You will need access to a phone line and a computer with internet access for this webinar. Check your system before the meeting to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

To participate, please complete the online registration.  Further information will be forthcoming to registered participants.  You must register to receive additional information.

Registration Link: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g4c76d

Questions?

If you have any questions about the content of this webinar, please contact:

Gretchen Ruethling

703-605-4327

gretchen.ruethling@fns.usda.gov

If you have any questions about registering for or connecting to this webinar, please contact:

Emily Buckham Buday

Emily.buckham@fns.usda.gov