July 22, 2010 -- SNA is launching an exciting new PR campaign called Tray Talk (www.TrayTalk.org) in time for back to school 2010. It is designed to emphasize all the benefits of school meals and showcase success stories from school nutrition programs nationwide. 

The full scale website will launch in the middle of August, but SNA members can get involved now by submitting a school nutrition success story at www.TrayTalk.org. This is the time to show off your school nutrition program’s unique accomplishments that parents should hear about. These can range from healthy balanced school meals, to farm to school programs, to nutrition education/wellness programs, to alternative ways of serving meals or any other success story that may be relevant for parents. Remember that a picture tells a thousand words, so please submit a colorful close-up photo to accompany your success story. SNA will review the information and may publish it on the Tray Talk website or in other SNA materials.

Simply fill out the short form at www.TrayTalk.org. 

Stay tuned for much more information about Tray Talk in the coming weeks! 

July 22, 2010 - Time is running out for Congress to pass a robust Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill before the November elections.  Now is the time to ask your Members of Congress to bring H.R. 5504 to the floor.  The following checklist has a few suggestions to help push Child Nutrition Reauthorization:

• Send an Action Alert – Send an Action Alert to your Congressional representatives.  Click here to send an email letter directly to your Member of Congress.
• Call the White House and your Member of Congress - It's easy to call the President or your Member of Congress.  To reach the White House comments line, dial 202-456-1111.  To contact your Member of Congress, dial the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Member of Congress. When you call, be sure to say: Our kids cannot afford to wait! Pass Child Nutrition Reauthorization, now!  Please support H.R. 5504!
• Schedule a Meeting with Your Member of Congress – Don’t just call your Member of Congress; schedule an appointment with him or her at their district office!  Meeting face to face with your Congressional representative or their staff is an effect of way of indicating your support for reauthorization.  Click this link to look up your Member of Congress.
• Sign SNA’s Child Nutrition Reauthorization Petition – SNA collected over 1,500 signatures from SNA members during ANC 2010 in Dallas.  If you weren’t able to sign the petition at ANC, you can now add you name online.  Click here to read and sign the petition.  You can also print off the letter and encourage SNA members to sign the petition at local chapter meetings.
• Invite Your Member of Congress to Your Cafeteria – Congress’ August recess ends September 10, 2010.  Now is the perfect time to invite your Member of Congress to visit one of your school cafeterias and demonstrate how the school nutrition programs benefit the children of your community.  Click here for the Cafeteria Site Visits 101 guide.
• Send a Letter to the Editor of your Local Newspaper – Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, indicating your support for Child Nutrition Reauthorization and ask that Congress pass a strong bill providing additional funding for the school nutrition programs.  Click here for a link to a letter you can send.