Shannon Almand, the Food Service Director at Quitman ISD,  is headed to Capitol Hill March 8 through 10 to participate in the School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) annual Legislative Action Conference. At the conference, Almand will join 850 school nutrition professionals from across the country in urging Congress to increase funding for school meal programs in order to cover rising costs, expand scratch cooking, and offer more fresh foods. 

“Quitman’s nutrition program is eager to expand the variety of healthy options we offer with school meals,” Almand said. “Given high costs and tight budgets, we need additional funding from Congress for equipment, staffing, culinary training and fresh ingredients for our students.” 

The conference comes as the United States Department of Agriculture prepares to align school nutrition standards with the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which emphasizes protein, more whole foods, and reducing highly processed foods.