Support for Summer Meals
![](https://ecoliteracy.org/sites/default/files/styles/hero_image_small/public/summer-tomato-web_0.png?itok=jTE4ZGtT×tamp=1683229796)
About this Series
The School Food Innovator Series is a virtual quarterly gathering designed for members of the California Food for California Kids® Network. This series showcases innovation in school food leadership across the state and fosters connections between Network members and offers peer-to-peer learning opportunities.
About this Session
This session focused on best practices for summer meals and farm to summer programming. Get inspired by school nutrition leaders from the California Food for California Kids® Network as they share community outreach strategies, enrichment activities for students, and their favorite California-grown foods to serve in the summer.
Slides: Support for Summer Meals
Download the School Food Innovator Series: Support for Summer Meals.
Chat: Support for Summer Meals
00:28:32
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Welcome! Please introduce yourself by typing your name, position, and where you work into the chat box. What’s your favorite summer meal?
Quick Tip: If you’re connecting with your phone audio separate from your video, please make sure to rename yourself on your phone app, so that it says your name, and we can connect your audio to your breakout room.
00:29:06
Rosa M Estrella:
Rosa Estrella, Baldwin Park USD
00:29:19
Scott Berndt:
Rib B Que sandwich with a dill pickle
00:29:35
Scott Berndt:
Scott Berndt
00:29:46
Abby Halperin:
Hi everyone! Abby Halperin, Policy and Grants Manager at the Center for Ecoliteracy. Two favorites: grilled peaches with burrata on salad and roasted summer corn
00:29:47
Jezra Thompson-Center for Ecoliteracy (she/her):
Hi! Jezra, from the Center for Ecoliteracy. Watermelon and mint salad!
00:29:58
Dylan Hatami:
Dylan Hatami, West Contra Costa USD, BBQ Hot Dog & Potato Salad
00:29:59
Melissa Manning:
Hi I am Melissa Manning, Owner & Founder of My School RD consulting. My fave summer meal is Summer Corn and Tomato Salad
00:30:05
Yousef - CAFF - he/him:
Yousef Buzayan, Farm to Market Senior Manager, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), Davis, CA, a caprese salad with local tomato and basil!
00:30:19
Abby Halperin:
Replying to "Hi! Jezra, from the ..."
Have you tried it with feta too? So good!
00:30:22
Juan Zamorano:
Juan Zamorano San Diego Unified School District. I love to BBQ almost anything as long as it helps me clean my freezer.
00:30:43
Scott Berndt:
Scott Berndt - Riverside Unified School District
00:30:48
Claire Tauber - CAFF:
Hi all, Claire Tauber from Community Alliance with Family Farmers. I can’t wait for peach season!
00:30:48
Anali Rosales Garces:
Anali Rosales Garces, County of San Diego HHSA, Community Health Worker Liaison, summer squash
00:30:52
Stephanie Lip:
Stephanie Lip, Sr. School Food Ops Specialist with Chef Ann Foundation. Watermelon mint lime salad!
00:31:26
Itzul Gutierrez:
Hi all, Itzúl Gutierrez - California Association of Food Banks and love watermelons and cherries in the summer!
00:32:02
Raquel Santillan:
Raquel Santillan from Kids Eat Right with Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula - love grilled kabobs with pineapple, chicken, and veggies!
00:32:39
barbara jellison:
Barbara Jellison West Contra Costa USD anything grilled outdoors
00:38:50
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Sign on to the 2023 School Meals for All Budget Letter: https://forms.gle/j63tfkURpkTQC6SW8
Reach out to Abby and Anne if you’re interested in sharing your story: abby[at]ecoliteracy.org and anne[at]ecoliteracy.org
00:39:29
Anne Moertel | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Looking forward to hearing from you!
00:41:19
Mike Munna | LunchAssist:
Mike Munna - Director of Sales at LunchAssist
00:41:32
Itzul Gutierrez:
Here’s a letter for support template for AB 1178 Caregiver meals
00:42:13
Itzul Gutierrez:
Replying to "Here’s a letter for ..."
Letter due by Monday, April 24th. Thank you to all who can support!
00:43:12
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Check out this great resource from LunchAssist comparing the most common types of summer programs operated by California schools: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J807mzrKrFoas_TPsy4wv-u8SuLkfRiA/view?usp=share_link
00:43:20
Mike Munna | LunchAssist:
Hi, everyone! Mike here from LunchAssist! If you want to learn more about what we do, send me an email: mike[at]lunchassist.org
We love supporting the school nutrition community and what we offer is an allowable use of KIT funds, too!
00:43:48
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
USDA Summer Meals Toolkit: https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-meals-toolkit
00:44:33
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
CDE Farm to Summer Celebration Week https://www.cde.ca.gov/LS/nu/he/f2summercelebrationwk.asp
00:47:05
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
1) Center for Ecoliteracy Farm to Summer Planning Guide:
https://www.californiafoodforcaliforniakids.org/farm-summer-planning-guide
2) Center for Ecoliteracy Nourishing Students Enrichment Activities:
https://www.ecoliteracy.org/download/nourishing-students-enrichment-activities-grades-k-5
3) USDA Farm to Summer How States Can Promote Local Foods and Agriculture-Based Activities:
https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/smt-farm_summer_states.pdf
4) FoodCorps Sprout Scouts Activities Handbook:
https://foodcorps.org/sprout-scouts/
5) No Kid Hungry Recipe & Food Skills Handouts To Share Alongside Summer Meals:
http://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/resource/recipe-handouts-share-alongside-summer-meals
00:47:17
Abby Halperin:
My favorite activity from Nourishing Students: coloring with a radish! So fun
00:49:27
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
No Kid Hungry Promote Summer Meals Outreach Resources:
https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/programs/summer-meals/promote-summer-meals
00:51:23
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Check out this segment on Good Day Sacramento of Lodi USD’s summer meals kick-off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33xvoK0F7CE
00:54:26
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Lodi Unified School District 2022 Summer Meals Kick-Off Community Event:
https://www.lodinews.com/news/article_0a866658-e6d6-11ec-b247-0bf07f51daed.html
00:56:34
Amy Garfinkel:
That rainbow salad is so beautiful!!
00:57:33
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
San Luis Coastal USD Spring Magazine:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mXGpGFVUftfcYWJtxF6cjm-FIaUSLQGU/view
00:57:42
Jackie Day:
I was thinking the same thing, Amy! SO pretty!
00:57:59
Itzul Gutierrez:
Need to hop off, thanks CEL for supporting and lifting up Summer Caregiver meals bill. And thanks to all school districts and community orgs ensuring our kids are fed during the school year and summer!
00:58:31
Abby Halperin:
Replying to "Need to hop off, tha..."
Thanks so much for joining us, Itzul!
00:59:12
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
San Diego USD Summer Fun Cafe Website:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/departments/food/our_food_programs/summer_fun_cafe
01:01:01
Jezra Thompson-Center for Ecoliteracy (she/her):
Deliciously truthful, Director Caguin!
01:01:32
torin childress:
Thanks for posting the SDUSD summer video Pratyusha
01:03:58
Alexa Norstad:
So much love for librarians!
01:19:19
Abby Halperin:
I’ve been to one of Riverside’s summer BBQs in a park, they’re the place to be!
01:22:01
Amy Garfinkel:
Thank you so much for sharing, Lauren, Scott, and Vince! Love learning about your amazing programs!
01:22:32
Jackie Day:
I joined the call late. Will the recording be posted later? Thanks!
01:24:08
Liz Carlton (she/her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Replying to "I joined the call la..."
Yes, Jackie!
01:24:16
Scott Berndt RUSD Food Hub:
The new grill that we are utilizing this year is Crown Verity. They have a commercial line.
01:24:19
Jackie Day:
Replying to "I joined the call la..."
thank you!
01:25:20
Juan Zamorano:
How do you market to the non English speaking segments of the community?
01:25:51
Pamela Lee:
Do you contract with any farmers for regular deliveries before their season starts?
01:29:06
torin childress:
SDUSD bbq grills
01:29:36
Pamela Lee:
Is the 108K considered a micropurchase?
01:30:06
Liz Carlton (she/her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Thanks for sharing those photos, Torin! Your events look like so much fun!
01:30:18
Liz Carlton (she/her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
(By the way, I love that we can share photos in the Zoom chat now!)
01:31:23
Scott Berndt RUSD Food Hub:
I am a CAFF board member and will be in Davis for a board meeting this Sunday so I will have to ask for help in the bid process
01:31:41
Abby Halperin:
This guide from CAFF is great on different types of purchases (https://caff.org/ca-school-district-produce-procurement-guide/); I think 50k is the official USDA micro purchase threshold, unless that’s changed
01:32:14
Claire Tauber - CAFF:
Yeah 50K is correct for the USDA limit!
01:33:40
Pamela Lee:
why does riverside hold that 108K limit?
01:35:12
Crystal Whitelaw I Center for Ecoliteracy:
Thank you so much Vince, Lauren, and Scott. This has been super helpful!
01:36:01
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Center for Ecoliteracy Resources
Join the California Food for California Kids Network: https://www.californiafoodforcaliforniakids.org/network-membership
Farm to Summer Planning Guide: https://www.californiafoodforcaliforniakids.org/farm-summer-planning-guide
How to Plan a Student-Centered Farmer Visit to Your School: https://www.californiafoodforcaliforniakids.org/student-centered-farmer-visit
2023 School Meals for All Organizational Sign-On: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScF9uMIKHj8lGhjsaZGzFjAFod2Yha_0fynZ-VDIiX2ffoCow/viewform
01:37:12
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Partner Organization Resources
CDFA Farm to School Network Community of Practice #6: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIscOGuqT4uE2TuV1sc9_q_e0T--mAJOiw
CDE 2023 Summer Meal Service Sites: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sh/sn/summersites23.asp
CDE Farm to Summer Celebration Week: https://www.cde.ca.gov/LS/nu/he/f2summercelebrationwk.asp
01:37:50
Pratyusha Gampala (She/Her) | Center for Ecoliteracy:
LunchAssist Summer Nutrition Programs in California: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J807mzrKrFoas_TPsy4wv-u8SuLkfRiA/view
No Kid Hungry California Summer Meals: https://state.nokidhungry.org/california/summer-meals/
USDA Farm to Summer Factsheet: https://www.fns.usda.gov/f2s/farm-summer-ripe-local-foods
01:37:56
Amy Garfinkel:
Yay! Thanks Liz! Excited to see you at the Community of Practice tomorrow!
01:38:32
Amy Garfinkel:
Thank you Center for Ecoliteracy team! Learned so much in this call!
01:38:38
Erin Primer:
Thanks Everyone!!
01:38:48
Vince Caguin (he/him) Natomas USD:
Thanks all
01:38:53
Crystal Whitelaw I Center for Ecoliteracy:
Thank you everyone! Happy summer meals planning!
01:39:04
Anne Moertel | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Cheering you on!
01:39:12
Claire Tauber - CAFF:
Thanks all!