FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Paul Alberghine 301-686-3100 Ext. 126 palberghine@schoolnutrition.org
Dan Glickman To Receive 2010 Gene White Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Nutrition
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., October 28, 2009 – The 2010 Gene White Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Nutrition will be awarded to Dan Glickman, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, former Congressman and long-time champion of child nutrition causes worldwide.
Mr. Glickman, current Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA), will be honored by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation at the non-profit’s annual A Possible Dream Gala scheduled for Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.
Dan Glickman will be the eighth recipient of the Gene White Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Nutrition, presented each year to an individual whose work has contributed toward helping the world's poorest children receive adequate nutrition, thrive and reach their full potential. Other recipients of this award include Senators Bob Dole and George McGovern, Dr. Josephine Martin, Edward Cooney, the Honorable Catherine Bertini, and Marshall Matz.
Mr. Glickman has led the fight to end hunger both domestically and internationally throughout his career. Most recently, he joined the Honorable Catherine Bertini, former Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme, in co-chairing the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' Global Agricultural Development Leaders Group. The group’s findings, Renewing American Leadership in the Fight Against Global Hunger and Poverty, were issued early this year. Under his leadership as Secretary of Agriculture from March 1995 to January 2001, the Department focused extensively on improving our nation's diet and nutrition and on fighting hunger.
Before his appointment as Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Glickman served for 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Kansas' 4th Congressional District. During that time, he served as a member of the House Agriculture Committee, including six years as chairman of the subcommittee that had jurisdiction over most federal farm policy issues.
Mr. Glickman serves as Vice Chairman of the Friends of the World Food Programme and on the board of directors of America's Second Harvest and Food Research and Action Center, among other organizations.
The Global Child Nutrition Foundation (www.gcnf.org) is a nonprofit corporation whose mission and vision are to provide a social safety net and child development opportunities in low income countries through the promotion of school feeding programs. The School Nutrition Association (www.schoolnutrition.org) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Diane Pratt-Heavner, School Nutrition Association(301) 686-3124media@schoolnutrition.org
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (October 21, 2009) – Today, upon invitation of Sam Kass, Assistant Chef and the Food Initiative Coordinator at the White House, School Nutrition Association President Dora Rivas, R.D. joined First Lady Michelle Obama on the White House lawn as part of a Healthy Kids Fair.
Rivas, Executive Director of Food and Child Nutrition Services for the Dallas Independent School District in Texas, was joined by the school district’s Nutrition Specialist Vahista Bharucha-Ussery, R.D. Bharucha-Ussery, a registered dietitian and chef, worked alongside White House Chefs in a healthy cooking demonstration, while Rivas hosted a nutrition education station featuring the healthy meals served to Dallas ISD students through school breakfast and lunch programs.
SNA President Dora Rivas and Nutrition Specialist Vahista Bharucha-Ussery join White House Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses on the South Lawn during Michelle Obama's Healthy Kids Fair.
The Healthy Kids Fair was designed to promote good nutrition and physical activity for young people. First Lady Michelle Obama visited the nutrition stations, sampled the Frittata and Spiced Apples prepared during the cooking demonstration and joined local school children in obstacle course and other physical activity stations.
SNA Applauds Obama Administration for Commitment to Child Nutrition ProgramsRising Costs for School Meals Require Increased Funding
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (October 23, 2009) – Following Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s comments on the upcoming reauthorization of Child Nutrition Programs, the School Nutrition Association (SNA) applauded the Obama Administration for its strong commitment to strengthening the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.
During a national conference call, Secretary Vilsack specifically acknowledged the work of SNA and school nutrition professionals nationwide while noting the “heavy burden” placed on schools to serve nutritious meals to 31 million children every school day.
Secretary Vilsack renewed the Administration’s pledge to provide an additional $1 billion to support child nutrition programs and called for increased training opportunities for school nutrition professionals, as well as consistent, national nutrition standards for all foods served during the school day – goals promoted by SNA. “The Obama Administration clearly recognizes the importance of school meals to the health and academic success of America’s children, and is committed to strengthening under-funded school nutrition programs,” said School Nutrition Association President Dora Rivas, MS, RD, SNS, and executive director of Food and Child Nutrition Services for the Dallas Independent School District in Texas. “The priorities outlined today by Secretary Vilsack strongly reflect recommendations made by the School Nutrition Association over the past year, and we appreciate his understanding.”
The School Nutrition Association has been calling on Congress to increase the school meal reimbursement for all meals to keep pace with rising costs and to provide schools with the support they need to expand offerings of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The Institute of Medicine earlier this week reinforced that need and issued recommendations to increase servings of these healthy items in school meals.
SNA’s 2009 School Nutrition Operations Report found that nationwide, nearly every school district offers students fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and salad bars or pre-packaged salads. School nutrition programs are working hard to provide students with an even greater variety of healthy foods, but they struggle to manage the cost of these enhancements:
SNA found that the average cost to prepare and serve a school lunch that meets federal nutritional standards at the start of school year 2008-2009 was $2.92. The federal reimbursement rate for that free lunch is only $2.68 for school year 2009-2010, leaving financially strapped schools to make up the substantial funding gap. In a recent survey of school nutrition directors, SNA found that over half of school districts expect to face continued increases in the cost of food, supplies, labor, gas and transportation.
The School Nutrition Association is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country. The Association and its members are dedicated to feeding children safe and nutritious meals. Founded in 1946, SNA is the only association devoted exclusively to protecting and enhancing children’s health and well being through school meals and sound nutrition education.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (October 20, 2009) – Today, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released “School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children,” issuing recommendations to update the nutrition and meal standards for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Programs.
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) welcomed the recommendations and called on Congress to provide school nutrition programs with the financial support necessary to bring these changes to the lunch line.
“School nutrition programs offer children well-balanced, healthy meals, but just like our students, we are constantly working to improve ourselves,” said School Nutrition Association President Dora Rivas, MS, RD, SNS, and executive director of Food and Child Nutrition Services for the Dallas Independent School District in Texas. “The Institute of Medicine’s recommendations offer schools critical guidance for ongoing efforts to enhance the nutrition of school meals.
“However, school nutrition programs, long under-funded and pressured by rising costs, will need more than just ‘Building Blocks’ to improve on our success,” said Rivas. “Congress needs to provide the mortar through higher federal reimbursement rates for school meals.”
SNA’s 2009 School Nutrition Operations Report found that nationwide, nearly every school district offers students fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and salad bars or pre-packaged salads, and nearly all school districts prepare at least some of their bakery items, entrees or side dishes from scratch.
Yet an SNA report released last week found that school nutrition programs are increasingly pressured by rising costs and a federal reimbursement rate for free lunches that doesn’t keep up with the expense of preparing a meal. SNA is calling on Congress to provide greater federal support for school meals during reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act this fall.
School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children - Institute of Medicine Report