Food Service

September 15, 2021

Dear MMSD staff and parents,

Food & Nutrition has been excited to welcome all of your students back into our buildings over the past several weeks. While it has been great to watch the District take steps back toward a normal school year, Food & Nutrition has continued to experience significant operational challenges related to the pandemic.

Staffing and manufacturing shortages remain an issue across the food service industry. Our primary food distributor, Gordon Food Service (GFS), first reported observing inventory and supply chain issues caused by material shortages, increased demand for select products, and workforce challenges in late August. Deliveries are received from GFS three days per week at MMSD’s Food Production Center and shortages totaling hundreds of cases of product are observed with each delivery. Additionally, excluding employees with COVID symptoms has caused the staffing levels at our vendors to be unpredictable, namely among their transportation teams. We have experienced canceled truck routes with no notice since school started two weeks ago. We are continuing to partner with numerous vendors to try to always have our bases covered and solidified backup plans.

As our department has shown throughout the pandemic, Food & Nutrition remains adaptable and ready to pivot to meet the needs of our students regardless of the obstacles we face. We have been working with our regulatory agencies to find new and creative ways to meet the requirements of our programs while managing the shortages we’ve seen already this school year. Some days, meals may look a little different than what students are accustomed to, but we promise that we will continue to feed any student looking for breakfast or lunch each and every school day.

Food & Nutrition is excited to be able to offer meals free of charge to all students for the 2021-2022 school year and hope to see your students trying new foods with us. We appreciate your patience as we navigate these unique circumstances and are optimistic about the ways we will be able to expand our programs for your students as the school year progresses and we work through these challenges.

Thank you for your ongoing support, Nichele Smith

August 26, 2021

Dear Gordon Food Service® Educational Customer,

We are looking forward to helping create a positive 2021-2022 school year for your district, and the children you serve! And, we’re committed to partnering with you to meet today’s business challenges, head-on. Here are actions Gordon Food Service is taking to ensure a successful return to school:

Continued Focus on Health and Safety
Our teams use proactive measures in our facilities and for our employees including: enhanced cleaning and sanitizing, daily health screenings, social distancing and the use of proper Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). We are also working to understand individual customer protocols so that our sales, delivery, and service team members are prepared to comply or make alternative arrangements as needed.

School Year Changes
With a range of start dates and formats for fall instruction, each district has different needs. Your Education Specialist will work closely with you to accommodate product and delivery needs as much as possible.
You can help by: providing timely notification of any school format changes (for example, in-person to hybrid or virtual, etc.), updates to menu items, and changes in product forecasts.

Flexible Menu and Inventory Planning
As a result of the ongoing pandemic challenges, we are experiencing supply chain disruption on many of our products. There are many reasons for this including material shortages, increased demand for select products, and even workforce challenges at our suppliers.

We have introduced some new items this fall to supplement the supply chain disruption, and we continue to stock and increase inventory for top items from fall 2019, as well as forecasted fall 2021 items. As things shift, your Education Specialist will continue to work with your district teams to communicate supply challenges, understand menu changes and likewise confirm your forecast numbers so we can make adjustments as needed.

Product Costs
We have been working closely with our manufacturer partners to understand the pandemic’s effect on product costs. When notified of a cost increase or any bid pricing support elimination (or changes) by manufacturers, we immediately begin working with the supplier and school districts regarding these changes. We will work with you to either approve the price increase, evaluate alternative products on hand, or potentially source a new item to meet your needs if possible.

Like every other organization during this pandemic, Gordon Food Service and our manufacturer partners have had to make some difficult decisions, and are working within the constraints of the tight labor market. Despite these realities, our goal is to continue to be flexible and innovative, and serve our customers at the highest possible quality and service levels.

Through ongoing communication and collaboration with you, we will find the best path forward. Please keep your Education Specialist informed of any unique protocols or requirements your district has defined, and thank you for letting us serve you.

Sincerely,

Dorothy Cole
National Education Manager Gordon Food Service

Nichele P. Smith, our new Director of Food & Nutrition, has a passion for feeding children, making sure they receive the very best reimbursable meals offered under the National School Lunch Program.  Nichele has worked with various Cost-Op's food service vendors over the years, managing accounts including Chicago Public Schools, Archdiocese of Chicago, and Gary Schools. 

Nichele has implemented menu development processes to reinforce flavored meal components, as well as marketed state school food programs, which increased student meal participation by 300%.

Nichele emphasizes on diversifying school menus by working with state-approved chefs to enrich and create flavor profiles, food quality, and meal presentation. Nichele also reinforces to her team, that "every student should not only receive great tasting meals, but the best dining and customer service experience throughout the district."  

Nichele is excited to be a part of the MMSD team and looks forward to putting smiles on our students' faces,when they think about our district's food program! 

Let's Have an awesome 2021-2022 school year! It's time to rock-n-roll!

Our new Assistant Director of Food & Nutrition, Melvin Price Jr., brings extensive student nutrition leadership experience to the district.  Born in Saginaw, Michigan, Melvin was raised in Europe during the Cold War and is a veteran of the U.S. Army.

He has served as an Area Director for Washington D.C. Public Schools and as General Manager of Student Nutrition for Flint Community Schools and Saginaw Public Schools in the great state of Michigan. 
He has a passion for coaching and team development. He is a two-time city championship basketball coach in Saginaw. He is also the founder and director of the non-profit organization Man About Change, a social enterprise dedicated to improving the lives of young men through raising their overall awareness of parental rights, wealth creation, and the seven dimensions of wellness. He is excited to be a part of the Madison Metropolitan School District.

Each school is developing its own plan to appropriately distance students while eating. This may include assigned seats, classroom meals, use of hallways or common spaces, and eating outside. Schools will strive to maintain a distance of 6 feet between students when eating, but less distance will be permitted, as needed. Meal times will be limited in duration, and snacks will be eaten at a specific time to avoid snacking (unmasked) through the day. Students may bring food from home (as long as it adheres to the nut-free food item guidelines), but they are not permitted to share.