199. Patti Montague, CEO of SNA, on Keeping Kids Fed, Advocating Through Crisis, and Protecting the Future of School Meals

What happens when schools close, but millions of children still need breakfast and lunch? How can an association help its members keep feeding students—and respond when rising costs threaten their ability to continue?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Patti Montague, CEO of the School Nutrition Association (SNA). Patti’s first appearance on the podcast inspired Joanna’s book, When It Mattered Most. In this return conversation, Patti discusses:

How SNA represents 50,000 members in a profession that serves approximately 30 million school lunches and nearly 15 million school breakfasts every school day.Why serving meals outside cafeterias, delivering food on buses, and providing several days of meals at once required regulatory waivers that SNA secured for schools.How members began serving curbside meals immediately after schools closed.SNA’s advocacy for free breakfast and lunch for every student, and why Patti believes school meals are an investment in children’s health and ability to learn.How the pandemic strengthened SNA’s partnership with USDA and helped secure additional funding as food costs and supply chain pressures increased.Why staffing shortages, rising food and equipment costs, and inadequate reimbursements have created another crisis for school meal programs.How SNA is pressing Congress and federal officials for additional funding and higher meal reimbursement rates—and why meal program shortfalls affect other school district priorities.How SNA uses media coverage, social media, and members’ stories to communicate the urgency of the crisis, with Patti reporting that 80 percent of members are concerned about financial sustainability over the next three years.

References:

School Nutrition Association website