Summer has ended and a new school year is here! We look forward to serving you and the families in your community as you ramp up for your busiest time of year.

We know the start of school is a critical time for you and your staff. Our goal is to help make it as calm and stress-free as possible (though as a parent myself, I'm not sure that it is!) by anticipating your needs and questions in advance.

Starting Fresh & Looking Forward

You’ve heard the phrase “If I knew then what I know now...” It’s a chance to imagine how our current lives might be different if we possessed the insight or wisdom that we’ve since acquired.  Maybe we apply this phrase to something in our youth, to the earlier days of our careers, or simply after starting and making progress on a new project.  In some cases, it’s not so much something new as it is just additional emphasis and prioritization of certain values based upon our experience of life events.  

We know that for many of you, this upcoming school year may be one of the most challenging years you have ever faced. There are likely a number of new guidelines you need to adhere to, changing or fluctuating schedules for students and staff, as well as a number of decisions that have yet to be made. “Overwhelmed” is probably an understatement.

Despite the vast number of school closures across the country, many of you continue to serve your communities by finding alternative ways to feed students while also fielding questions from parents. In challenging times like these, we are so grateful for people like you, and we couldn't be more honored to partner with your district.

As you work to navigate this new landscape, we want to do all that we can to help. Below are a few resources that will hopefully provide some assistance to you and your staff:

With so much uncertainty in the country right now, I wanted to let you know our Heartland family is here for you and your school community. We know our district partners have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and many have had to extend breaks or close their schools altogether. Here are some of the steps we’ve taken to continue to serve you, while providing a safe work environment for our staff:

Five Heartlanders attended the 44th Annual Legislative Action Conference (LAC) held on February 28-March 1, 2016 in Washington, D.C.  Child Nutrition Reauthorization was the primary focus of this year’s conference.  As discussed in this blog, the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act authorizes all of the federal school meal and child nutrition programs, which provide funding to ensure that low-income children have access to healthy and nutritious foods.