Outlook: Nutrition programs

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OUTLOOK TheOUTLOOKNutrition Programs Illinois State Board of Education OCTOBER 2005 bulletinboardIn this issue… Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and Eligibility in the Child Nutrition Programs .......................................................... 1 How You Can Help Victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ..................................................................................... 2 Verification Deadlines! ........................................................ 2 Local Wellness Policy Satellite Seminar to be Webcast .. 2 Illinois School Breakfast Week, November 13–19 ........... 2 ADMINISTRATION Questions and Answers ........................................................ 2 National School Lunch Program’s Basic Training Workshop Offerings Expanded ......................................................... 3 Updated Guidance on the Revised Child Nutrition Annual Financial Report Available.............................................. 3 Childhood Hunger Relief Act Mandates Required Schools to Operate School Breakfast ............................................ 3 Federal and State Breakfast Program Start-Up Incentive Grants Available—Application Deadlines Approaching! .................................................................... 3 Legislation Update and Countdown .................................. 4 FOOD DISTRIBUTION Food Distribution Questions and Answers ....................... 4 FOOD SERVICE and NUTRITION Fresh Apple Cider Safety ..................................................... 4 MyPyramid for Kids! ........................................................... 5 GRANTS, AWARDS, and HONORS Grant and Scholarship Opportunities—Do Not Take Grants for Granted ........................................................... 5 OTHER Welcome New Staff ............................................................... 5 Did You Know October is Health Literacy Month? ....... 5 Calendar of Events ................................................................ 6 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and Eligibility in the Child Nutrition Programs The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) recently issued a policy for the feeding of school children who have relocated from areas devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. USDA will continually monitor the situation and provide updates as appropriate and as necessary. The policy states that in cases where a household from a designated disaster area moves in with another household, the displaced individuals may be considered homeless and automatically eligible for free meals. Public schools should work with your homeless education liaison to obtain the necessary documentation. Such documentation is in lieu of a Household Eligibility Application and should include the list of the impacted child(ren)’s name(s), signature of the homeless education liaison for the district, and the date. This is the only documentation needed to provide free meal benefits to the homeless children. However, the host family would have to provide a revised application to increase household benefits for the host family members. The revised application can include those displaced by the disaster as household members as long as any income provided to the host family is also included on the application in order to be eligible for free or reduced-price meal benefits. If there are any questions concerning this policy, please contact the Nutrition Programs Division at 800/545­7892
or 217/782-2491.
www.isbe.net/nutrition – 1 – OCTOBER 2005