During our November Leadership Happy Hour call, we discussed some of our challenges (recruiting volunteers), as well as our victories (great speakers at our fall meetings) as well as some unique incentives to entice members to attend, including member appreciation and recognition. The importance of recognizing our members is two-fold; it is a way to be inclusive no matter the member (or non-member) type, and it makes them feel appreciated as well. Here are few suggestions for member recognition and appreciation.

Years of Service – National has a longevity program that recognizes members for their years of membership. Chapters can do the same and even take it a step further by presenting members with certificates or small gifts of appreciation at your meetings as well as noting their anniversaries in your newsletters.  

Newcomers/First Timers – It’s important we recognize our first timers, including students and prospective members, and ensure their meeting experience is a positive one. Some chapters recognize first timers with name badge ribbons or ask them to introduce themselves at the start of the meeting to be recognized.  This also makes it easier to identify newcomers and go out of our way to make sure they feel included and can assist with anything they might need. Don’t forget to thank them for attending in your newsletter or social media posts too!

Volunteers – We certainly can’t forget to recognize our volunteers! Volunteer recognition can be key in recruiting new volunteers as well as demonstrating to members the time and hard work that goes into managing the chapter. More importantly, our volunteers are deserving of this recognition and appreciation. Perhaps it’s a nice lunch for your volunteers, or a gift card to their favorite coffee shop. However, you choose to recognize volunteers, its important to do so on a regular basis.  Thank you, Volunteers!

This month, we are honoring Angie Mannel, CDM, CFPP of the NE ANFP Chapter as our Volunteer of the Month. Angie first joined ANFP in 2009 after earning her certification. However, Angie’s career in foodservice began before she was a CDM, CFPP. As a teenager, Angie worked in the kitchen of a nursing home in her town. At that time, she decided she wanted to earn her CDM, CFPP and to learn more about foodservice management. She has since held positions at various healthcare facilities and is currently at the Cozad Community Hospital applying the credential to her everyday work, where she manages a staff of 12 among two buildings.

Since joining ANFP, Angie has been involved with chapter leadership and served as the education and membership chair, as well as secretary and is currently the chapter president since January 2021.

Having to take on the role of chapter president during COVID brought many challenges, like for many of our chapters. However, Angie and her team made use of social media to stay connected to members and recruit volunteers which proved successful. NE ANFP was able to fill all volunteer roles and held a very successful fall meeting that gave members the chance to connect in-person once again.

As for the future of NE ANFP, Angie would like to see more members involved as well as additional volunteers helping out, no matter their role. She would also like to see more NE ANFP members attend ACE and hopes to see the chapter win the Diamond award.

Angie would also like to see younger nutritional services employees obtain their CDM, CFPP and become involved in their state chapter and ANFP.

Thank you, Angie, for your dedication and continued hard work for NE ANFP! Your perseverance has built NE ANFP into a successful and sustainable chapter.

If you would like to nominate a volunteer for the Volunteer of the Month, please send your submission to asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.

Below are the upcoming rebate requirements. Documents can be submitted either the chapter portal or sent to chatpers@ANFPonline.org.

• Submit bank statements for the month of October to ANFP Headquarters – Due November 30  
• Chapter Bylaws – Due January 15 (if the chapter bylaws have not changed, please let us know. You will not need to submit another copy.)                                                                                           
• Policies & Procedures - Due January 15 (if the chapter policies & procedures have not changed, please let us know. You will not need to submit another copy.)                                                           
• Bi-Annual Chapter Rebate Achievement Report - Part 2 - Due January 15         

Also, if you have not submitted the following documents from the first deadline, please do so as soon as possible:

• 990
• Affiliate Agreement
• Financial Code of Conduct

Learn more about becoming a Chapter Champion HERE.

Congratulations to the following Chapter Champion!

Minnesota ANFP

We are rapidly approaching the busy holiday season and don’t always have the chance to get together in person with our members before the start of the new year. However, we still want to keep our chapters at the forefront of our members’ minds and continue to engage with them outside of meetings and other formal chapter events. The holidays give us the opportunity to have some fun, relax and enjoy each other’s company in a different setting and without pressure and expectations. Consider a virtual meet-up or exchange in the next couple months to show appreciation for you members and keep them engaged.

Toast to Your Members – Invite members to a virtual ‘Toast to Members’ event to recognize your members’ accomplishments from this year as well as what is ahead for the new year. It’s a great opportunity to show gratitude for your chapter leaders as well as hearing about your members victories.

Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest - Many facilities or organizations hold an ugly holiday sweater contest, try this with your members as well. They can either post their photos to your preferred social media account or send them via email between set dates. Then, let your members vote to choose the member with the ugliest sweater. This is activity is always fun and gets a lot of laughs!

Recipe Swap – Another virtual event that does not take up much time, is a virtual recipe swap. This can be done at your members leisure or can be included as part of your ‘Toast to Members’ event. Ask members to submit their favorite recipe along with the reasons it’s their favorite (does it remind them of a loved one? Is it a tradition in their family, etc.). Once you have collected all the recipes, these can be combined into one document and sent out to all your members to use. No doubt you’ll get some great recipes along with some unique stories from members.

Member Check-In – While it would be ideal to meet face to face with all our members, there are many reasons we cannot, but we can reach out via phone, which is often the next best thing. Think about taking some time to reach out to your members individually via phone to say hello, see how they are doing and wish them a happy holiday season. Divide and conquer by separating the member roster by the number of chapter leaders on your board, and each one calling a portion of your members. If you have a large number, think about using your micro-volunteers for this job or sending emails or texts as well.

Reasons of Gratitude – We can all find at least one thing we are grateful for and often the holiday season is the time we think about this. Ask your members to post what they are grateful on your social media account. Then create a word cloud and post for all members to see, or in your next newsletter. You can also ask this of your members in your virtual holiday events.   

Below are the upcoming rebate requirements. Documents can be submitted either the chapter portal or sent to chatpers@ANFPonline.org.

• Submit bank statement for the month of October to ANFP Headquarters - Due November 30

Learn more about becoming a Chapter Champion HERE.

Fall chapter meetings are in full swing this month. Chapter leaders have worked very hard to put together programs that consist of relevant and important content to help CDM, CFPPs succeed in their jobs and grow professionally. One of the ways our chapters decide on content is through feedback provided from their meeting evaluations. Allowing our members and attendees to provide feedback on meetings, can help us better serve our members and meet their needs. It becomes imperative to our growth as a chapter to learn from feedback and evaluations, but perhaps most importantly that we are asking the right questions.  

Meeting Effectiveness - We can start with asking a basic, yet important question, if the meeting was effective. Was the meeting a good use of their time? Did attendees get what was intended from the meeting? If it is a reoccurring meeting, has the meeting quality improved or declined over time? You could also give attendees or members the opportunity to explain their answer as a follow-up question for a more detailed explanation. 

Meeting/Session Content – Another question or questions, you’ll want to include in your evaluation, address the meeting or session(s) content. Was the content relevant to your position? Did the session meet the objectives? Will you be able to apply what you learned? This will help your board and chapter leaders improve upon the education and topics provided at future events. You can also tack on feedback questions regarding speakers in this portion.

Recommendation of Event – One of the most positive forms of feedback is when a member or attendee recommends others attend your events. This is a great way to gauge if members will be back and perhaps bring others to the next event. Be sure to include the questions that ask if they would attend again or if they would recommend the event to a friend or colleague.

Topics for Future Meetings – A great way to get ahead of planning for the next meeting is asking your attendees the topics they would like to see included in the meeting. You may find some unique topics or a trend with the same topics being suggested. Asking this question can give you a great start to your content and agenda for next year as well as meet your members’ needs.

Additional, but Important Questions - You’ll also want to consider adding questions about the venue, location, cost to attend, food & beverage, networking events or expo/food show, registration process and anything else that you’d like to improve upon or change for next year’s event. This may help you understand why others may have not attended if you receive negative feedback.

These are just a few questions you can include in your evaluation or feedback survey. However, in addition to creating your survey, its important to act on this feedback and keep it in mind as you plan your next event.  

This month we are honoring ALL our chapter leaders and volunteers!

Last week we celebrated our annual Volunteer Appreciation Week. A week filled with giveaways, recognition and appreciation of the hard work and dedication our volunteers provide to ANFP.

We started the week off with a keepsake postcard sent out to all our volunteers. We hope that you will display this proudly in your office or workspace to let others know that you are greatly appreciated.

Tuesday, we asked volunteers to send us their testimonials about volunteering with ANFP. We asked volunteers to tell us their ‘why’ and what benefits they have received as part of their volunteer work. We hope each of you were able to reflect on your own ‘why’ and know that we are grateful for the motivation and reasons you volunteer.

On Wednesday, we had a chance to honor volunteers with Volunteer Superlatives, to recognize those that go above and beyond for their chapters, committees, or boards. Below is a list of the winners:

Early Bird Award – John Hickson, CCA, FMP, CHESP, SNM, CDM, CFPP

Biggest Heart Award– Cindy Cothern, CDM, CFPP

Perpetual Smile Award – Ariel Womack, CDM, CFPP

Band-Aid Award – Janice Hemel, CDM, CFPP

On-the-Spot Award – Joey Rost, CDM, CFPP

Thursday, we sent a video message to all our volunteers from the ANFP National Staff, thanking all volunteers for your contributions that make our organization a success. To view the video, please click here. We hope you’ll share this with your employers and fellow members so they too, can understand the positive impact you have made on ANFP.

We rounded out the week with a giveaway of Visa gift cards to 8 lucky volunteers that were randomly selected from our entire pool of volunteers. Congratulations to these individuals!

 A BIG thank you to all our volunteers! Your hard work and time given have not gone unnoticed and we hope that you feel appreciated by our members, Board, and staff. Thank you!

If you have suggestions for the 2023 Volunteer Appreciation Week, please contact Abigail Solazzo at asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.

Below are the upcoming rebate requirements. Documents can be submitted either the chapter portal or sent to chapters@ANFPonline.org. 

• Submit bank statement for the month of October to ANFP Headquarters - Due November 30

Learn more about becoming a Chapter Champion HERE.

Welcome to the Fall 2022 edition of ROOTS Roundup! In this issue you will learn about the Government Affairs Committee's goals for the upcoming year along with updates and opportunities to serve as a volunteer! 

The Government Affairs Committee will continue to focus on increasing the number of ANFP-Approved Training Programs and will promote the CDM, CFPP credential as the primary qualification for the Director of Food and Nutrition Services in the absence of a full-time dietitian. 

ANFP realized an important victory when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) withdrew its 2019 proposed rule “Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities; Regulatory Provisions to Promote Efficiency, and Transparency,” which would have weakened the CDM, CFPP requirement for the Director of Food and Nutrition Services in skilled nursing facilities.

CMS very quietly withdrew its 2019 proposed rule on August 4, 2021, with notification posted on the website for the Office of Management and Budget. ANFP submitted comments opposing the rule to CMS in September 2019 and its progress was halted when the Biden Administration came into office in January 2021. The Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional Credential remains intact in the CMS §483.60 Staffing Requirements.  

ANFP continues to make progress rolling out its youth apprenticeship program registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. Employers have signed commitment letters and the first apprentice is ready to begin. The goal is to have 20 individuals matriculate in the program, which is based on the CDM, CFPP curriculum with Department of Labor grant funding that now gives employers $2,000, an increase from the original stipend of $1,000, for each of the apprentices to cover the cost of the course and exam registration fees. 

The Call for Volunteers will open on October 1, 2022. Members who are currently serving in a volunteer position on ANFP, CBDM, or NFEF boards or committees that end May 31, 2023, will need to complete the application process if they are interested in serving another term. Please encourage members of your state to apply and serve in a leadership role. Volunteering provides various ways to learn new skills, develop and enhance networking opportunities, and is a wonderful way to gain more experience that can further your career! 

If you are interested to learn more about the GrassROOTS initiatives or to become a member of the network please sign up here. Please also consider giving to ANFP’s political action committee, ANFP-PAC, which is integral to our visibility and success on Capitol Hill. If you are planning to attend your local fall meeting, this is a great opportunity to make a donation! 

We are off to a great start with our fall chapter meetings, with twenty meetings already scheduled and more to come. For some members this may be their first time attending a meeting, or for others this may be their first in person meeting in a couple years. Either way, attending a chapter meeting is an exciting opportunity for members to gain new knowledge, learn best practices and network with their peers and industry colleagues. However, once the meeting ends, we want to ensure we maintain our momentum and our connections that we made during the meeting. We can do this using a few strategies to maximize the knowledge we gained and build on the connections we made.

Monthly Networking Circles – Implement a virtual networking circle, like our Leadership Happy Hour calls, that extends from your meeting’s networking event. Once a month or every other month, invite participants to attend the meet-up and continue their discussions as well as meet others and ask and answer industry questions.

Set Goals Related to Content – Much of the content we learn can be applied to our everyday jobs and/or volunteer roles. Before leaving the chapter meeting, ask attendees to set goals for themselves that are related to the content taught at the meeting. This encourages attendees to use the knowledge they have gained and apply it to real life situations.

Follow-up Webinars – Once attendees have set goals, schedule a follow-up meeting(webinar) for those that would like to report on their progress and share what they learned through applying their knowledge gained at the meeting.

Check in on New Members/First Timers – Be sure to keep in touch with first time attendees, new members, students, and non-members that attend the meeting. New member advisors can be tasked with reaching out to these individuals to act as a mentor or simply check in to see how they are doing. It can be a great opportunity for relationship building among industry peers.

This month we are honoring Teresa Faison, CDM, CFPP of the Georgia (GA) ANFP Chapter.

Teresa first joined ANFP in 1989 when it was still known as DMA. She began to volunteer with the chapter after moving to Georgia, following her husband’s military retirement in 2018.

However, volunteering was not new to Teresa when deciding to volunteer with the chapter. She has volunteered in many roles and organizations over the years, including marching band booster club at her children’s schools as well as the military spouse’s club. She is currently serving as president of the Robins AFB Spouses’ Club as well as an usher at her church. In addition to these roles, Teresa is currently the president-elect for the GA ANFP chapter having started volunteering as the chapter secretary in June of 2020.

During her volunteer work now and moving forward, Teresa has brought in her experience and knowledge from other volunteer roles and applies it to her work she currently performs for the chapter. She hopes this will bring in a fresh perspective that will benefit the chapter.

As president-elect of the GA ANFP, Teresa would like to see more members volunteer for leadership positions on the state level as well as the National level. As for entire organization and industry, she would like to see ANFP continue to push to have the CDM, CFPP recognized as a requirement within the LTC industry. 

Thank you for all your hard work and unwavering dedication to your chapter and ANFP, Teresa! Our chapters are strong and successful because of chapter leaders like you. Thank you!

If you would like to nominate a chapter leader for Volunteer of the Month, please contact Abigail Solazzo at asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.

Below are the rebate requirements which are now past due. Please submit as soon as possible in order to be eligible for the first rebate installment. Documents can be submitted either the chapter portal or sent to chatpers@ANFPonline.org.

• Submit bank statement for the month of April to ANFP Headquarters - Due May 31
• Officers entered in Chapter Portal for future volunteer year (June 1 – May 31) (Officers must be entered each year regardless of length of term.) – Due June 1
• Code of Conduct - Signed by Chapter President, President- Elect, Treasurer, Secretary - Due June 1
• Affiliate Agreement – Reviewed, signed, and submitted to ANFP Headquarters – Due June 15
• End of the year financial statement by June 30 each year (for the previous fiscal year) to ANFP Headquarters – Due June 30
• Education meeting dates submitted to ANFP Headquarters - Due July 15
• 990 filed and E-receipt submitted (Fiscal year June 1 - May 31) - Due July 15
• Bi-Annual Chapter Rebate Achievement Report - Part 1 - Due July 15

Learn more about becoming a Chapter Champion HERE.

This month we are honoring Dorothy Darnell, CDM, CFPP of the Utah ANFP Chapter.

Dorothy joined ANFP in January 1995 and started her dietary career in Texas. While in Texas, Dorothy was the Dietary Director at Johns Community Hospital from 2001 - 2006. She then moved to Utah in 2006 where she was the Director of Nutrition and Environmental Services Specialist for Amerinet and was responsible for implementing the GPO for Nutrition and Environmental Services Program. She finished her career at Central Valley Medical Center as the Dietary Director and is now retired.

During her robust career, Dorothy still found time to volunteer with ANFP starting in Texas where she served as the district 6 president and district 6 treasurer. Following her move to Utah, she learned about an opening for the UT ANFP chapter president's position. She served in this position for 2 years and then became the chapter treasurer for another 2 years. During this time, she was very fortunate to have members volunteer to fill open board positions.  She has served in the same positions at various times throughout her volunteer career, and trained others in these roles in addition to serving as the newsletter editor. She currently serves as the chapter’s treasurer.

During her years of service, the UT ANFP chapter received the Gold Level Achievement Award Chapter and also saw the largest percentage of membership increase for the month of February in 2007. She also served on the Item Writers Committee, that develops questions for the credentialing exam, from 2008-2010.

Being back in a chapter leadership position, Dorothy would like to see the chapter go back to having two live seminars each year and increase attendance and overall member participation.  She’d also like to see UT ANFP members become involved, specifically with the quarterly newsletter by submitting articles or other relevant contributions.  Dorothy also encourages members to volunteer in any small way they can.  

For the time being, Dorothy would also like to see the relationship strengthen between the chapter board and members. She also seeks the same outcome with UT’s communities through food bank donations or volunteering and participating in career days at local high schools. Dorothy would also like the chapter to offer more support for members planning to attend ACE or that need assistance with dues.

Dorothy, thank you for your many years of service and hard work! UT ANFP has a bright future ahead with you as a member of the board. Thank you for all you do for ANFP and your chapter!

If you would like to nominate a chapter leader for Volunteer of the Month, please contact Abigail Solazzo at asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.

Below are the rebate requirements which are now past due. Please submit as soon as possible in order to be eligible for the first rebate installment. Documents can be submitted either the chapter portal or sent to chatpers@ANFPonline.org.

• Submit bank statement for the month of April to ANFP Headquarters - Due May 31
• Officers entered in Chapter Portal for future volunteer year (June 1 – May 31) (Officers must be entered each year regardless of length of term.) – Due June 1
• Code of Conduct - Signed by Chapter President, President- Elect, Treasurer, Secretary - Due June 1
• Affiliate Agreement – Reviewed, signed, and submitted to ANFP Headquarters – Due June 15
• End of the year financial statement by June 30 each year (for the previous fiscal year) to ANFP Headquarters – Due June 30
• Education meeting dates submitted to ANFP Headquarters - Due July 15
• 990 filed and E-receipt submitted (Fiscal year June 1 - May 31) - Due July 1
• Bi-Annual Chapter Rebate Achievement Report - Part 1 - Due July 15

Learn more about becoming a Chapter Champion HERE.