Senator Peter Welch Remarks: School Nutrition Association of Vermont’s 2026 Conference

So like Wednesday. Okay, everybody, if I can have your attention, it is my pleasure to introduce our next speaker, US Senator Peter Welch. Senator Welch has been a strong voice for Vermont [applause] and for the communities, families, farmers, and students who call our state home. As a member of the Senate Committee on the Agriculture, nutrition, and forestry, he understands the important connection between agriculture, nutrition, and the well-being of our children. He currently serves as ranking member of the subcommittee on rural development, energy, and credit. His work is especially relevant to all of us in this room. School nutrition sits at the intersection of so many of the issues that matter to Vermont. From supporting our students and families to strengthening our local food systems and creating opportunities for Vermont farmers, Senator Welch has been a strong supporter of farm-toschool initiatives, recognizing the important connection between providing nutritious, locally grown food to students, supporting Vermont's farmers, and helping young people understand where their food comes from. As school nutrition professionals, we know that the work we do every day has an impact far beyond the cafeteria. We are feeding students, supporting their ability to learn, strengthen, and strengthen our communities, and helping shape the future of Vermont. We are grateful that Senator Welch has taken the time to join us today and to hear directly from the people who work on the front lines of school nutrition every day. Please join me in giving a warm Vermont welcome to our US Senator, Senator. [applause] Thank you. [applause] Thank you. Thank you very much. You know, you exaggerated. Um well, here's where you exaggerated. Uh it's it's nice of me to give time to see you. It is so good to see you. I'd be hanging out with Jim Jordan or I'd be hanging out, you know, with Ted Cruz. I mean, it's good to be here at Shelurn Farms with you. And then the other the other is an amazing place. Shelurn Farms. You know, we came in and you go through the gate house and that gentleman there gives you the nicest greeting and then this whole new world opens up with those fields on both sides and you just wonder this is not a bad bad place to have a conference. And then as you come down here and suddenly the fields give way to the beautiful view of the lake in the aderondex. Oh my goodness, we're so blessed. Um, and in a way, there's a link between what happened here at Shelurn Farms and what you're doing every day. I mean, the web family decided to preserve this for all of us and have this local treasure be available uh for activities like what you're doing today. And what I so admire about what you're doing today and every day is you believe in nutrition of course for kids, but you believe in healthy nutrition for kids. That requires local farms. It requires a community where there is a culture that it is absolutely essential that kids especially when they're at school get good meals, good nutritious meals and where they have the security of that and all the benefits of that and you know the idea that we have to like make an argument that it's important to feed kids. I mean what kind of country is that right? We know that this is not rocket science. But to have it be nutritious, to have it depend on local farmers, to set up the systems where the food in the fields gets planted, it gets harvested, and then in the schools where there's a mechanism by which the food can be received and cooked and prepared. And just think of all of the people who were engaged in that process from the kernel or the seed that gets planted to the meal that is put on the plate in front of those kids when they're in school. And it has been such a struggle, you know, in this country to absolutely have a policy where the goal is to make sure that our kids are wellfed when they are at school and then have that carry over into the summer so that they can continue to be healthy and wellfed. So, you know, the part about kids, you know, the statistics about how they learn better in a way it's kind of trivializing the reality that that is something we we know you should not have to argue that kids are better off if they have a healthy diet and the steadiness of good meals. What I think is so important about what you've done is you've created in an institutional way the mechanisms where our schools can be able to do this. And that's hard work because it takes buy in. It takes making adjustments in the school. It makes it means getting the facilities that you need at the school to prepare the meals. It means having dedicated staff who are going to deliver it with a smile. And of course all of us feel so good when we see those kids are happy and wellfed and being kids. But this is about an ecosystem of local community commitment. And what I'm seeing in the farm bill that so disturbs me is that we've got to get a farm bill that is about the community values about local farmers doing local production about food that's going to be served to kids. as opposed to ethanol that's going to go into our cars. And if we have a farm bill, it should be focused on small farmers. We just came from a 300 dairy cow farm uh in in uh in Huntington, Vermont. And shouldn't we have a farm bill that makes it possible for a small farmer with all of the challenges that they face to be able to make a living and pass that farm on, in this case, to the fifth generation? Or should we have a farm bill that essentially is promoting big a which is intensive use of insecticides and pest pesticides and chemicals and where some of the the checks that are picked up are in mailboxes in skyscrapers in Houston and San Francisco instead of in the mailbox of a local farmer uh who's on the land and doing the work and on a tractor not picking uh clipping coupons. So, the big challenge that we've always had and where Vermont has been in the leadership, Senator Ley and of course, Senator Sanders and me and Becca now in the House is all about trying to have the priorities of our farm bill be about our communities. And that starts, of course, with our kids who need that good nutrition. But it also includes our local community farmers and that includes our dairy farmers where you know in the farm the farm bill dairy the uh the vegetables uh in the fruits uh in the nuts they're referred to as quote specialty crops. I like refer to him as like food we eat that's good for us and that should be the biggest title right because that is about a community and everything we're seeing um at the m at the big level is so much about consolidation and that consolidation where our farmers then face incredibly high fertilizer prices that they face incredibly high input cost where actually farmers now if they buy a incredibly expensive tractor don't even have the right to repair it and that means more power is put into the hands of the big corporation. If there's anything I know about farmers, they know how to fix things. So, you know, that's why I'm sponsoring the right to repair. You buy the tractor, you you have the right to try to repair it and not pay a huge bill uh to the big company that sold it to you. But the heart of ult of agriculture at the end of the day is about putting good nutritious meals on our tables and that we've made progress on getting those meals to be available to kids who otherwise would not have that meal. They wouldn't have that meal. You know, that's hard to imagine for a lot of people because, you know, $6 a day, which is what the food stamp aotment is. How in the world do you manage to make it go so far? That's my question. And it's really, and that's a compliment because just think of what effort goes into having that small amount of money go so far for the health of our kids. But what's so important about what you're doing is that the heart of agriculture has to be about feeding the people of this country. It has to be about supporting local sustainable environmentally good agricultural practices that are going to make it possible for all of us and our families to have good nutritious meals every day. And you know, the last thing I've been into several schools where I see the kids eating and they have these choices they didn't know they had. Uh, and certainly I didn't have when I was going to school a while ago. But it's nice to see the kids socializing over a nice meal and they have fun. But it's a real part of the educational day where over a meal they get to talk about what they're doing. They get to joke around. They learn how to interact. They learn how to get along with people that they don't necessarily have a lot of things in common with. So I see the heart of agriculture, the heart of nutrition is being about community. And we need that sense of togetherness, that sense that we're all in it together. that sense that we have some obligation to use the talents we have to make life better for people who would not have that option. And nobody can claim to do the wonderful work of community building more than each and every one of you here who is doing so much to make that nutritional uh security for our kids be universally available in this state that we all love. So my message to you is thank you and I hope you left enough food for a sandwich. Thank you all very very much. Really [applause] appreciate [applause] >> a question. >> It's up to you. >> I don't know what your schedule is. I'm okay. Thank you. Um, thanks for coming here. We heard this morning from our keynote speaker that so we all use brown box commodities from the USDA to make up a big portion of our meals >> and um that's agricultural surplus that government buys up and apparently some school district from a pilot project and the whole state of Kansas is allowed to get cash in of those commodities that they can decide to spend wherever they want. So they can support local farms and businesses buying food instead of getting the commodities from from the national commodities. Is that something you could look into of whether or not Vermont or districts in Vermont could get that exemption so that we could do get cash in commodities and then we could support local farms so much more than we already do what we buy? I could absolutely look into that and we will and as you know uh Senator Ley when he was senator and I was in the house worked on the farmtoschool program and the premise is that you want to get as much local farm produce and products and vegetables as possible because then it's a virtuous cycle. You're supporting the local farmers and the local farmers are putting really good meals on the plates of our kids. So that is an idea. We'll look right into it, but it's very consistent with our commitment to the farm-toschool program, which is about supporting farmers as well as kids. >> Thank you. Thank you. [applause] >> [applause] >> feedback that your office got regarding how agencies in the state can be better supported financially like Vermont in terms of the staffing and being able to get this money out. >> Well, we have look, let me let me get to the bad news here, okay? We got a situation in Washington that is absolutely and completely unacceptable. In the one big beautiful bill, $180 billion dollars was taken out of the SNAP program and we're [cough and clears throat] fighting against that. And of course, I voted against it, Bernie voted against, and Becca voted against. That is absolutely unconscionable. It was also extremely disappointing to me because we've always had an alliance between the nutrition advocates, people like here in this room uh in many of whom are not in just rural states but in urban areas where the goal was to feed our kids and then the farm state legislators who were concerned about the well-being of the commodity crops and that got fractured into one big beautiful bill. So, we're starting out in the whole with $180 billion dollars uh less than what we've what we need. And by the way, with all of the incredible wealth that's out there, you know, we're just reading billions and billions of dollars that people are making. You know, Elon Musk is going to make a trillion dollars. There is greater need for nutrition than ever before. I mean, we've got a two-tiered economy. That's the reality. And you see it every day. and you see the effects of that every single day. So, I'm [clears throat] appalled at what happened uh with the cuts in SNAP. And we're we're on our back foot a bit because in the farm bill, we're trying to make up for some of the damage that was done. Uh but that's the goal. And you know, the other thing that [clears throat] I want to say to you that is very divisive in politics right now. But here's the heartbreak for me. There are people just like you that are committed to the well-being of the kids in their state just like you that are in bright red states that voted for Donald Trump because there's people there who care just like you about those kids and they want to help. And what I see is that we in Washington have to approach things the way you do. It's like you don't ask who the parents voted for. You ask what does your son what does your daughter need for a good meal and that's something that brings us together. It's much more important than your political orientation. It's about getting something done that helps our kids and helps our future. So that's how we've got to start operating in Washington because these challenges, these kids who don't have the meals that they need, that is universal. That's a all across this country in uh urban areas and rural areas. This is a challenge and you're meeting it. But I want to see Congress meet it. But the way we can do it is by all of us regardless of who our state voted for acting on behalf of the kids who need our help. So thank you. [applause] >> [applause] >> Thank you all. It's so good to be here and thanks for your question. >> Thanks for fielding those questions. >> Yeah. Thanks. >> How about one more round of applause for Senator? [applause] It's time to introduce our next speaker, Rosie Krueger. Sorry. Vermont state director of child nutrition with the agency of education. Rosie plays an important role in supporting and strengthening child nutrition programs across Vermont. and her work has a direct impact on the school nutrition professionals in this room and most importantly the students we serve. Those of us working in school nutrition understand that providing healthy nutritious meals to students requires much more than what happens in our cafeterias. It takes strong partnerships, thoughtful policy, advocacy, collaboration, shared commitment to ensure that every Vermont student has access to the food they need to learn and succeed. Rosie has been an important voice in all of these conversations, including working work surrounding universal meals and Vermont's effort to strengthen school nutrition and connect students with nutritious, locally sourced foods. today gives us an opportunity to hear directly from her about the work happening in the state level, the opportunities ahead and what those efforts mean for school nutrition programs across Vermont. Rosie, thank you for your leadership, your partnership, and taking the time to be with us today. We are grateful to have you here and look forward to hearing from you. Please join me in welcoming Rosie Kger. [applause] [applause] I'm Stephanie. Hi everybody. Um, so, uh, last year at this time, I think I gave you kind of a a downer of an update about what a kind of disconcerting, uh, year it had been in child nutrition programs. Um, and I always say that the thing I love about my job is it is something new every day. And I'm sure that many of you would say the same thing about your jobs. Um, so we're always um responding to both the challenges and opportunities that come our way and and trying to figure out how to make the best of them and and keep our eye on the ball of of feeding Vermont kids. Um, so it's certainly been another uh strange year in the world of child nutrition. Um, we had a very long government shutdown. Um, we had some confusion about whole milk. Um, we had a um, uh, some legal stuff with the federal government. Um, and through it all, I've kind of viewed our role um, at the agency of education is the umbrella um, to deal with the federal confusion um, but allow you to keep doing the wonderful work that you're doing in Vermont schools to actually get the food out the door and on the trays um, and really appreciate you all um, sticking with that work and keep in getting it done. Um, so tomorrow I'm going to talk a lot more um at our summer institute. Um, you'll see me up here again um giving some kudos for some amazing work that folks have done um in Vermont over the last year. Um, so I'm not going to go into to detail on all that stuff um today, but I do want to talk about one thing um that happened in this past year um which is the dietary guidelines for Americans were published in December. Um, this is a periodic update to the nutritional standards that the federal government sets. Um, that's kind of a goal for everybody. And for most folks, the dietary guidelines don't actually have a big impact on their day-to-day life. You know, they are going to continue to make their food choices. But, um, in child nutrition land, the dietary guidelines are really, really important because that is what the meal pattern is ultimately based on. And so, um, we are anticipating that there is going to be a rule that the federal government will, uh, put out for hopefully public public comment, um, probably sometime in October. The timing is a little up in the air, but, we know that USDA's written this rule. They've sent it on to the Office of Management and Budget um, to uh, review and then we're anticipating that that will be published for public comment. So, it will be a proposed rule. Um, and at that point we'll have maybe 30 days, maybe 60 days, something like that for the public to comment. And you all are the public and your students are the public and the parents are the public and your administrators are the public. So, every American is able to submit comment about what they think um the proposed rule will mean um and what impact it will have and um what that uh rule would do if it was implemented versus what you know how you think um it it could be better implemented. Um so, I think we have a shared goal of making sure that kids get healthy food. Um, and uh, we have an opportunity during a a comment period to tell the federal uh, decision makers what uh, how we think we could do it better. [laughter] Um, and so they're going to put out their proposal and and this will be your opportunity to react. So, um, really want to make sure that folks keep an eye out for that. And when it comes to submitting a comment on a on a rule, um you know, it's not that helpful to just say, "Look, I think this is good or I think this is bad." It's really helpful to use your expertise and really delve into the details and say, "This particular piece of it would mean that, you know, it would have this impact on my school. It would cost this much more for my program to implement this. it would um you know mean that I would be able to feed this many fewer kids or feed this many more kids. Maybe some of the stuff we see will be good and we'll want to support that and and um and you know I'm not going to tell you what the comment should be because that's what you know we're looking for you all to to be um sharing how this is particularly going to impact you um and impact the kids that you're serving in your programs. So again, a real opportunity coming up. Um really invite folks um to make comments either as individuals, as uh school districts, you know, on behalf of your whole child nutrition program for your school district, as individual um private citizens, um as parents, as uh community members, farmers. Um this is really that opportunity for for public involvement. Um the last time there was a major rule pattern change that was um after the you know that came around um in 2012 2013. Um those of you around then remember that it had a real real impact on the programs and you know ultimately we are serving better and healthier meals today for the most part than we were then. And so the overall impact has been really wonderful. But I think those of you who were around during implementation can remember that there were some things that could have been implemented a little better. Um might have, you know, if a little more thought of it put into it, a little more um nuance was was taken into account that it could have been um easier to implement. Um and so just reflect on on that experience and think about going forward um what what opportunities there might be. We don't know for sure what will be in the rule. Um but there's a lot of speculation um that there will be uh increased requirements for protein and um increased limits on sugar at added sugar specifically. Um I know that SNA has been advocating for along with the you know if there are going to be increased requirements on protein to increase the per meal reimbursement. Um knowing what we know about the federal government and its um functioning right now, I I'm not sure that that's a likely outcome. And so I want to encourage you as you think about that going into effect. Um and if the rule is proposed in October, we might see some of it starting to take effect next school year or potentially the following school year. Um so given that we're thinking that there might be more protein requirements with less money or the same amount of money, um encourage you to start thinking about beans. [laughter] And that's I know SNA has been thinking about that. There's a bean class today. Um we've got a bean class at our summer institute tomorrow. Um so practically just thinking, okay, let's really get those bean recipes going so that we're ready for that. And then with added sugar, um we already have some further limits on added sugar going into effect next school year. So I hope that you're already starting to think about that. Um but I think we all know that like a hard changeover is really difficult for the kids. And so keeping in mind that, you know, we don't know exactly what it'll be, but probably there'll be more restrictions. what can we do now to start shifting the needle a little bit so that it's not as intense a change. Um so invite you to think about those things in this upcoming year um and think about um think about that rule uh that proposed rule and when we can make those comments. Um we'll certainly let you know when that opportunity um comes out and and invite you to be ready for it. Um, so a little bit of a a tricky transition here, but um, thinking about the changes that happened over the course of the school year. Um, and one big change at the end of this school year is a food service director who's been with us for a very long time has retired. And I know many of you are fans of Kathy Alexander, [laughter] um, a really beloved food service director. Um and um so the SNA board asked me to to say a few words about Kathy. Um and I started thinking about it and I was thinking about my first introduction to Kathy was when I came back to Vermont um came home to Vermont as a 24 year old to um take on a new job. And I'm sure you all have had the experience of starting a new job and realizing, oh my god, I did not know what I was signed up for. Um, so my job was to take over uh an failing uh or a floundering uh government IT project to uh change uh the ordering of USDA foods and and move that to an online process. Um so I was interested to hear uh Danielle's um thoughts earlier because of course um I'm very very familiar with the challenges of USDA foods and have really been you know working on that for a while. So um happy to talk to folks about that. Um but when I when I started in that job um and real walked in realized I was frankly quite quite underqualified for it. Um I didn't know what a number 10 can was. I had no experience with government IT projects. Um so in general when I started that job um there were some experienced food service directors who were pretty miffed with the state for hiring me into that role and pretty miffed with the whole situation as it was at that time with USDA foods. Um, and so I was a, you know, a day or two under the job and I honestly don't remember who it was at this point, but somebody wrote me a really kind of nasty email about not being qualified and, you know, complaining about what the state was doing. And Cath Kathy was copied on that email. Um, and Kathy immediately reached out to me and she said, "I'm so sorry. Um, we shouldn't, you know, we wanted to welcome you to Vermont. Um, we really want to see you succeed. we want to work with you. Um, and I just I remember I had a pretty thick skin at that point. My my main qualification for that job is I had spent four and a half years answering angry constituent emails and phone calls for a member of Congress. So, I was really, you know, used to people being unhappy with the government. Um, [laughter] but just having Kathy reach out and welcome me and say, you know, we're in your corner. We really want to see you succeed at this. That really changed the tone. um and and made me um feel welcome um in the role and really kind of redouble my efforts. Um and I think Kathy's played a similar role for a lot of you. Um having that kind of having your back and letting you know, you know, you got this, you can do it. Um, so one of Kathy's legacies, aside from serving thousands and thousands and thousands of beautiful meals um to students in Addison County, has been her focus on training and support and professional development and helping you all be better at your jobs. And I know that's one of her her loves and her passions is is making sure that food service directors, food service staff, food service managers, all have the support to know that you've got this, you can do it. Um, so you know, every year, uh, we invite Kathy to to train at summer institute. Her classes are always the most popular. Um, you know, I think if we ever didn't have Kathy teach there would be a revolt. Um, and um, I always read the feedback and everybody says, "Oh, we love this class. It was so good. I know I can do it." You know, um, she leaves you feeling feeling like you, yeah, you can do it. You got it. Um, and I know she's done that with her own staff. um you know, she's really put a priority on on training her own staff up to be able to take on leadership roles and her own staff have gone on to become leaders in other districts around the state. Um she's done some tremendous work um with the SNA professional development committee. Um and also um over the years she was uh involved in the new school cuisine cookbook. She was involved in our seasonal she led our seasonal cycle menu toolkit. Um, I don't know if we've actually announced the availability of this yet, but we now have a new um, seasonal uh, cycle me or a cycle menu toolkit for afterchool snack that Kathy just put together. So, you all have the opportunity to have a a Kathy Alexander menu for your afterchool snack um, program coming up. Um, you know, and in addition to all of that has just created so many men uh so many recipes that I know you all have have stolen over the years. Um, so Kathy's really leaving her mark not just on the kids that she fed, but on the individuals that she's trained up and inspired um to be able to keep that work going. And I just think that's just a such a wonderful legacy. Um, so thank you, Kathy. Um, I'm now going to turn it over to uh Carol and Erica to say a few more words about honoring Kathy. Thank you, Rosie. So, if you'll all bear with us just for a moment, this is going to be our Kathy Alexander love fest. [applause] If you have ever worked with Kathy, taken a class with Kathy, been mentored by Kathy, use Kathy's recipes, could you please stand up? >> Could you all turn around and say thank you, Kathy? [applause] >> [applause] >> Hi Kathy. >> I have to say um I had to write it down because I knew this would be a little emotional for me. So I'm going to repeat a lot of what's already been said um because we can't say it enough. Honestly, when I was asked to talk about Spit Kathy for three to five minutes today, I thought to myself, how do you fit Kathy Alexander in three to five minutes? >> That's right. >> The truth is, you don't. Kathy has spent an entire career shaping school nutrition in Vermont. Her influence reaches far beyond the district she served and far beyond the people in this room. Every one of us has benefited from her generosity, her leadership, and her unwavering commitment to doing what is best for students. One of the things I admire most about Kathy is that no matter what the challenge we were facing, she always brought it back to the same place. Students are the point. Whether we're talking about procurement, budgets, regulations, staffing, or legislation, Kathy never lost sight of what why we do this work. Every decision came back to making sure children had access to nutritious meals, welcoming cafeterias, and the opportunity to thrive. That is reflected in the incredible program that she leaves behind and that she built. a legacy strong of strong local procurement, efficient systems, thoughtful menu planning, and one of the best professional developments programs in the state. But what makes Kathy's legacy remarkable is that she never kept that success to herself. [clears throat] If she developed something that worked, she shared it. If she learned something new, she taught it. If someone needed help, she showed up. Many of us have used Cathy's seasonal cycle menus. We've attended her trainings. We've borrowed her ideas, her forms, her systems, and probably called her more times than she'd like to admit to ask Kathy, "How would you handle this?" she met her, never made us feel like we were imposing. Someone somehow she always found the time. For me, Kathy's impact has been deeply personal. For seven years, we shared a tiny little office. During that time, she wasn't just my supervisor or my mentor. She became my partner in solving problems, celebrating successes, and navigating all the challenges that come with child nutrition. When I accepted my first director's position, I honestly honestly was not sure how I was going to manage without Kathy sitting a few feet away. I had become accustomed to spinning my chair and asking, "What do you think? The remarkable thing is that nothing really changed. The office may have changed, but Kathy never stopped being there. When I needed advice, she answered the phone. When I doubted myself, she reminded me I could do it. When I accepted the opportunity to lead the Burlington School District program, I don't think anyone was more excited for me than Kathy. She celebrated that opportunity as if it was her own. That is who Kathy is. She celebrates others people's success. She has spent an entire career lifting others up, mentoring directors, encouraging new professionals, and helping all of us become better at what we do. School nutrition in Vermont is stronger because of Kathy Alexander. Thousands of students have enjoyed better meals because of Kathy Alexander. And many of us standing here today are better leaders because Kathy took the time to invest in us. Retirement may mark the end of your career, but it certainly doesn't mark the end of your impact. Your fingerprints are on programs all across Vermont, and your influence will continue through every person you've mentored. Thank you. [applause] >> [applause] >> So, what I what I love about this is that she was super organized. She had written down. She had printed out the same as Doug. That's why I'm going in the middle because I'm not playing. You know, I barely woke up today and was able to be here. So, [snorts] I don't have anything planned, but I'm gonna just wing it as always. Um, as many as of you know, Kathy and I um are buddies and she she's my mentor just like Doug is Danielle's mentor. Although Doug is my mentor, too, and Laura, my mentor, too. But my favorite one is Kathy and everyone else. >> Sorry, Doug. [laughter] >> We've been doing this together for a long time. And from day one, that one class that I took that Kathy and Laura were presenting and I was like, "Wow, when I grow up, I want to be just like them. I want to just be them." And I kind of infiltrate myself into Kathy's life. And that it is. And I call her all the time. And I would not be where I am today without her. Um and to be honest we are only our profession is so elevated in the state. There is a reason why we had a US senator here today and why we had them so many times because Kathy Faw for us should be food service professionals and not just lunch ladies. Thank you Kathy. [applause] [applause] H, you know, as we get older, it's so much nicer to be at a place like this and you're talking about somebody so nicely when they're still alive. So, thank you that [laughter] this is a retirement party, not a funeral. And we have to remember that when we dry the tears from our eyes, I have to wear glasses now. Sorry. Um, so I agree with everything everybody said, going right back to Roie. It's all and I know how Rosie must have felt when she got your email to say you got this because we've all gotten that email. Um Kathy and I, we go back a little longer. Um Kathy and Steve, her husband bought land from my father probably 35 years ago and our you know kids I think were in kindergarten together and so it's been a long time. So, I'm really grateful um having known Kathy for all this time, being colleagues and neighbors and truly truly good friends. Um I was actually on the school board in Ferrisburg when your name came across for the first food service director job. >> Experience. >> That's okay. No. So that so so I I could pick them back then, too. That's all. Um but anyway, when we brought Kathy in as a food service director, our kids were in first grade and it was so instant the impact that she took um on those kids and on the meal program and it and the community just rallied around behind her. Um about 10 years after that, Kathy and I took a trip to Denver, Colorado for a national leadership conference. And I remember we both had family out there to visit, so it was one of those things that really worked out great. But I'll never forget we walked into the conference and on the first day Kathy throws her arms up. I don't know if you remember and you said Vermont is in the house and and it was just really very very honest and true and it's actually what happened. You know from about 2010 until probably 2040 Vermont will continue to lead child nutrition programs around the state and it is because of Kathy's enthusiasm and hard work. Um she used that style to become a leader in child nutrition programming across our state. And as everybody else before me has said, whenever anybody needs help, um she's always there to to be there for them. Um Kathy and I have traveled to schoolboard meetings in support for child nutrition professionals. Um which is something we talked two weeks ago about continuing to do and I talked to someone today, Moren, about going to a board meeting if necessary. We will do that. We need to support each other as we are just one giant family. We are not losing our big mama. We are simply moving together as a family in a maybe a different way. [snorts] Um Kathy didn't just manage programs. As you've heard, she's mentored people. She spent years grooming new generations of leaders to carry the torch and many of the people are here today. Her work vision completely changed the way Vermont does school meals by transitioning management company programs to selfop programs. Um, but for me, the greatest thing that she was able to do professionally was getting two supervisory unions in our state to actually work together on anything. And the fact what the fact is it was child nutrition programs and she used the time she was there to make the program work, knew when she was getting ready to go, mentored that team to become their own leaders. And nobody knew when she put those two districts together that the legisl the legislature now is trying to get us to put all of our districts in some way together. So she is so far ahead of her time and the roadmap for um combining and consolidating food service together to work together has already been started. So of all the things that this state has to do that's going to be one that they can look back on and see a positive and successful result. Um, I thank you very much for your leadership, your hard work, most of all your friendship. Uh, cheers to Kathy Alexander to all the world. [applause] [applause] Okay, we're almost done. But, um, I also started in 2008 in child nutrition. And when I went to a class led by Kathy and Erica, I also said, "I want to be them. That's what I want to do." And they've all been right by my side this entire journey. And that's what we all inspire to do is to mentor all of you and to really encourage and support that passion in you. Um, we had a SNA Vermont board retreat recently this spring and we worked on our strategic plan. As we worked on our strategic plan, we [snorts] came up with this logo that's kind of directing our path. And what we came up with was if you want to optimize education, it starts with school meals. meals first and everything else is BS. So that could be banana slugs, that could be, you know, whatever you want it to be. But school meals come first. And when we came up with that, Kathy was like, "Yes, we need that on a t-shirt." So Kathy, if you wouldn't mind, >> [applause] [applause] >> a little something. Should I open it right here? >> Open it right here. It's exciting. Presents. >> Yes. Oh my god. nails first. Everything else is [applause] >> You're welcome. Thank you for everything. All right, we have one more thing. Kayla, hold on. Hold on. One more little thing. Oh my god. >> Okay, can we all stand up and [applause] give Kathy a round of applause? [cheering] [applause] Thank you so much. [applause and cheering] Thank you so much. Thank you guys. That was way too much. I'm sorry it took up so much time. You're all amazing. Get on with the day. And I've never ever worked alone. And that's the only thing I want to say is that it is all about community. It's all about our relationships. It's all about taking care of each other and being part of a team. And I couldn't have done it without any of you. And thank you. And I'm I'm still here though. [applause] Hi, I'm Laura Lvaka. I'm here today at Shelburn Farms at the School Nutrition Association of Vermont's annual conference. We're here today to elevate the uh role of school nutrition in education by uh providing professional development for all of our school nutrition workers in the state. Thank you for being here. My name is Stephanie Gates and I am the current SNA president, sorry, school nutrition association of Vermont president. I am also the director of food service for Bennington Rutland Supervisory Union. And we're here today, like Laura said, at Shelurn Farms to come together as a team of school nutrition professionals and learn and just be together for a day of learning and togetherness. Back to you, Laura. [laughter] Hi, we're here at the Shelurn Farms and we are with the School Nutrition Association of Vermont and we are celebrating school nutrition professionals across the state. Um, today is a day we all come together to learn and to share information and to um celebrate all the good work we're doing and we have some great guest speakers. Um, we're looking at our strategic plan for the next couple years. And, um, what else are we doing? Uh, we have a great food show that we we're going to be participating in with lots of vendors from across the country. And, uh, also taking some learning journeys and learning about local foods, fresh from the farm, how we can get them on our kids trays, and how we can do more cooking from scratch. That's the Vermont way and that's what we're pushing towards in the future is more local foods on the trays, more scratch cooking, more professional development for our our staff and more equipment, updated equipment in our kitchens. The I love you. Try it.