The sense of uncertainty, unease, and ambiguity surrounding the recent change in administration in Washington, DC is palpable. Each week seems to have something else that can keep us off-balance and scrambling to make sense of hypotheticals.
“Feeding kids is a basic thing we should support as a society, right?” But we are reminded daily that nothing should be assumed or taken for granted.
Organizations like the School Nutrition Association, the Center for Ecoliteracy, Chef Ann Foundation, CAFF, and many more have been fantastic at developing resources and messaging to engage our school nutrition professionals and the communities we serve to advocate for school meal program funding and support. Some districts are using those resources.
Now is a time to communicate and tell our stories more than ever. If we are to ask our communities and co-workers outside of school nutrition to support us we need to make sure we’re sharing what we do.
Localize The Impact. Connect The Dots.
The scale of school nutrition nationally is immense and impressive. Yet when communicating to our communities we need parents to see the personal impact. We also need to be as clear and explicit as possible in connecting the dots between numbers and people. This helps people to build a stronger concept of what we do.
Some things to think about communicating:
How many meals do you serve each day? That’s how many lives you improve every day. 5,000? 10,000? 100,000? Be sure to remind people (and yourself) that 5,000 meals per day = 5,000 children in your community eating nutritious meals. It’s about more than a meal - it’s about a life made better.
You offer the most access to fresh foods. There is no place else that offers fresh produce to every child, every day. Yes it’s a requirement, but that doesn’t change the fact that more access = more consumption.
We support parents. School food programs support parents and takes stress and anxiety away in myriad ways. Want more time with your kids? Let your schools handle the food prep AND cleanup. 15 minutes a day adds up to 45 hours a year that parents can spend with their kids. And when it comes to states like California with universal meals, the savings can add up to nearly $1,800 per child, per year.
How many people do you employ? School districts are often some of the largest employers in the community. This often goes overlooked, and strong school districts make for strong community economies. This helps more affluent community members see the direct impact through a different lens.
It’s Never Too Late to Tell Your Story
Times like these can feel overwhelming, and that feeling can lead to paralyzation. But there is no better time to tell your story than now.
But one thing is certain: if you don’t tell your story, someone else will. That’s why we work every day to help school nutrition professionals take control and drive the conversations around school food rather than react.
We are in this together. There is strength in numbers. And because we collaborate, our knowledge base and expertise can only grow. Let’s speak up for school meals together!
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