Meals Plus Monthly E-Newsletter - September 2014

National School Lunch Week

National School Lunch Week is October 13-17, 2014 and the School Nutrition Association has everything you need to promote your child nutrition program! Increase participation in your lunchroom with the help of their NSLW Tool Kit, which is filled with tips for a successful NSLW, social media assistance, celebration ideas, PR tips and much more.

Visit their website for even more resources, including official NSLW merchandise and downloadable NSLW graphics that you can use on your menus, tray liners, newsletters, etc. And don't forget October 15th, 2014 is National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day, which is another great opportunity to increase participation!

DID YOU KNOW? According to a 2013 survey of SNA members, 80% of NSLW participants saw an increase of student participation after recognizing NSLW in their lunchrooms.

We hope you all have a successful
National School Lunch Week!

Tips for Managing Your Inventory:
Forecasting

Careful forecasting for bid development is sometimes overlooked. Usage reports and production records can be useful in forecasting quantities if a menu item continues from one bid period to the next.

The continued success of a menu item is also dependent on what other choices are offered on the same menu. Sometimes a different pairing will change the success of the item and the number that needs to be projected on a bid.

Forecasting should also include a serious look at enrollment projections and changes for the time frame in the bid period. Over or under-estimating usage can result in higher food cost. Include specific product codes on bids.

All substitutions need to be approved before delivery and be very similar to the bid specifications of the product being subbed. This has become increasingly important with the implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act meal requirements.

For more tips on managing your district cafeterias'
inventory, download your free copy of
"Managing the Money on the Pantry Shelves: Inventory Management for Your Child Nutrition Department"

Reduce Paperwork Stress with
our Online Services

Wherever there is internet access, there is also access to Meals Plus' easy to use online services for your child nutrition department! K12PaymentCenter.com allows parents to pay for meals and school fees, see what their students are purchasing in the cafeteria, and set 'low balance' alerts and more. And parents can submit free and reduced applications online easily at LunchApplication.com. This means less paperwork for your district staff and faster processing of payments and applications.

Email us or call 1-800-541-8999 for more information today!

Child Nutrition Operations Consulting

Meals Plus offers one-on-one consulting services from Nutrition Operations Consultant, Cynthia Sevier, SNS. Cynthia retired in 2012 from Guilford County Schools in North Caroilna, a district with 122 schools, and has nearly 30 years of experience in school food service.

Child nutrition consulting services include:

• Personnel training on the new meal pattern requirements
  
• Pre-CRE reviews
  
• Menu preparation assistance
  
• Pre-Validation review
  
• Financial management consulting
  
• KPI evaluation
  

For more information on how Cynthia can help make your child nutrition department more efficient, contact us today!

Meals Plus Account Manager Volunteers
for Food in Tummies Program

Joy Miller is a Meals Plus Account Manager based out of Austin, TX, and she's very excited about her new volunteer opportunity! As a member of The Junior League of Austin (JLA), she has graciously donated her time to the JLA's program, Food in Tummies (FIT). Together with Del Valle Independent School District, FIT provides weekend meals for all K-5 students at Baty and Hillcrest Elementary Schools in Austin, TX.

Both Baty and Hillcrest Elementary Schools have over 96% free or reduced students that are considered economically disadvantaged, and most likely do not have enough to eat on weekends. In the 2013-2014 school year, FIT provided approximately 1,500 students with weekend meals for 32 weeks of the school year!

Joy has completed several orientations and training sessions to be prepared to help FIT this school year, and they're ready to get back into action! On September 5th, Joy assisted with pep rallies at Baty and Hillcrest Elementary Schools (pictured above) with the goal of getting kids excited about the program and informing parents as to how the program will operate throughout the year. We look forward to sharing how FIT makes a difference for these students in the coming school year and congratulate Joy on her willingness to help feed students in her area! To donate or get involved with FIT, visit the Junior League of Austin's website.

School Nutrition Conferences

We are spreading the word on how Meals Plus makes managing your school's students, staff, menus, finances and inventory easier. Come see us at the following conferences:

Components

- Point of Sale
- Free & Reduced
- Online Services
- Inventory
- Menu Planning
- Nutrient Analysis
- Accountability
- Financial
- Time Clock
- Fixed Assets

Free Resources

Fiscal Survival 101: Financial Success in the Era of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act

Keeping the Lunchline Moving: Tips to Increae the Speed of Your Lunchlines

Managing the Money on the Pantry Shelves: Inventory Management for Your Child Nutrition Program