Many of us have heard about DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) by now. You may have heard it referred to as EDI, DEIA (Accessibility), DEIB (Belonging), or J(Justice)EDI or perhaps as other acronyms. Whether it’s been discussed within our facilities or at a recent chapter meeting, it’s a topic that’s growing in importance and is becoming engrained in our industry. There are many definitions of the concept and framework of DEI as a whole. However, the simple definition of DEI (according to Dictionary.com) is “a conceptual framework that promotes the fair treatment and full participation of all people, especially in the workplace, including populations who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination because of their background, identity, disability, etc.” While this definition helps to clarify the concept, we first want to understand the meaning of each term and how we can begin to incorporate this framework into our chapters. (Please note there are many varying definitions of each of these terms. These are defined below for the purpose of this newsletter.)

Diversity: the presence of differences; populations that have been and remain underrepresented among practitioners in the field and marginalized in the broader society.

-        Take a look at your chapter volunteers. Are there individuals from different populations represented such as age, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education level, ability (physical or cognitive), gender, etc.? Embracing diversity brings individuals from all walks of life and backgrounds together, to share their viewpoints and experiences and may generate new ideas that otherwise would not have been possible.

Equity: promoting justice, impartiality and fairness within the procedures, processes, and distribution of resources by entities or systems.

-        Equity within your chapter will ensure all members are given equal opportunities and access to resources. This may mean holding a virtual meeting, so all members are able to attend, eliminating the need to travel and associated costs (gas, tolls, parking, etc.) as well as taking time off work. Or perhaps at your in person meetings, special dietary or accessibility needs are met to ensure all attendees can participate and enjoy the meeting.

Inclusion: an outcome to ensure those that are diverse feel and/or are welcomed.  To the degree to which diverse individuals are able to participate fully in the decision-making processes and development opportunities within entities and systems.

-        Inclusion in chapters means members feel a sense of belonging. Think about this at your next board or committee meeting. Establishing a safe space that encourages and supports participants to share their opinions respectfully and freely, creates a sense of inclusion for all volunteers.

This month we are recognizing Jeff Wuolett, CDM, CFPP of the Minnesota (MN) ANFP Chapter. Jeff joined ANFP as an Allied member in 2012 while enrolled in a dietary manager program in Eastern Iowa. He became certified in 2013 and began volunteering with the MN ANFP chapter in 2016 as the secretary and is currently serving as president-elect in his second term. 

Jeff has also served on various committees at both the state and national level. At the National level, he has served on the Awards & Recognition Committee, Chapter Leadership Team, Marketing & Communications and Government Affairs Committees as well as a Director at Large on the National Board of Directors from 2020-2023.

Having served in these roles, Jeff has been able to bring a new approach to the way our organization interacts with our members and has been able to connect with younger professionals within the chapter and throughout membership. 

Moving forward Jeff hopes to see the membership grow as industry members are facing a lot of burnout and will need new CDM, CFPPs to succeed those that leave the industry or retire. Additionally, he would like to see continual recognition of the CDM, CFPP credential and eventually become the industry standard. 

Thank you, Jeff, for your continuous hard work and dedication to MN ANFP and our members! Volunteers like you ensure sustainability and growth for our future. Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated!

We’d like to recognize you as our Volunteer of the Month. Please send your nominations to asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.

Below are deadlines for rebate requirements.

2023 October Bank Statement - Due November 30

Learn more about becoming a Chapter Champion HERE.

Member engagement is as important as ever to our chapters. Our recent fall meetings allowed the opportunity to engage with members face to face, but only with those in attendance. For many of our members, life is not yet back to the pre-pandemic level of normalcy, and they were not able to attend the meeting due to staffing or scheduling conflicts. For others, they may not have seen the value in attending and networking with other members and industry peers. And for some, attending meetings may not be the way they want to engage with the chapter. It is our job as chapter leaders to provide our members with engagement opportunities outside of meetings and that meet the needs of our members. This past week we discussed the challenges of member engagement during the chapter best practices session and how we can increase engagement at every level with varying opportunities. See below for some of the session highlights.

Understand Member Needs – Before we begin to design engagement opportunities, we first need to understand our members’ needs. We can gather this information via surveys, polls, evaluations, focus groups or town hall/’ask me anything’ sessions. This information will help us understand what we need to do to meet demands of our members and how they would like to engage with us whether its through meetings, social media, volunteering, mentoring, advocacy, or something else entirely. 

Create a Sense of Belonging – We also want to think about the community we created. Is it inclusive? Is it diverse? Do all our members feel welcome? When we have an environment that is safe, inclusive, and welcoming, members are going to feel that sense of belonging and community and more likely want to be a part of it.

Give Them One Reason – Members don’t need 10 reasons to engage with their chapter; they need 1. One reason whether its giving back, being a part of the change, personal benefits/gains or maximizing their membership, is all it takes to get a member involved. As chapter leaders, it’s our job to provide them that one reason. Survey responses will help you narrow down those reasons.

Ongoing Process – Member engagement is an ongoing process that takes place through the lifecycle of the membership. It’s relationship building from the start of the membership (or in some cases before) through retirement (and beyond) that will require different engagement opportunities dependent on where the member is during their career.

We’d like to recognize you as our Volunteer of the Month. Please send your nominations to asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.

Below are upcoming deadlines for rebate requirements.

2023 October Bank Statement - Due November 30

Join ANFP in celebrating our inaugural National CDM, CFPP Day of the Year on November 28!

As members of ANFP, this is a celebration of the impact that CDM, CFPPs have made in the profession of foodservice management and food safety, and the recognition of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implementing regulatory language that includes the Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional (CDM, CFPP) credential as the primary qualification for the Director of Food and Nutrition Services in the absence of a full-time dietitian in long-term care settings.

This national day will give our organization and its members and employers the opportunity to recognize the vital work that foodservice professionals perform daily.

For ways you can celebrate a fellow CDM, CFPP, or to recognize your staff, visit the National CDM, CFPP Day of the Year website at https://www.anfponline.org/events-community/national-cdm-cfpp-day-of-the-year. Here you can also download the social media toolkit, promotional flyer, and logo.

Learn more about becoming a Chapter Champion HERE.

Fall has been a busy season up to this point and we still have a ways to go. Chapter meetings are in full swing, our new financial reporting template was introduced (see recording for more info), Volunteer Appreciation Week is taking place this week and the ANFP apprenticeship program is in full swing. Members of the Chapter Leadership Team (CLT) and staff have also been busy meeting with chapters in a one-on-one capacity. All chapters were surveyed in July asking if they were interested in meeting with staff and the CLT to provide feedback, ask questions and voice their concerns. We had several chapters respond and take advantage of this opportunity. And what has resulted this far has helped us understand how we can better serve our chapter leaders to help them support members. Learn more about some of the beneficial outcomes of these calls.

Volunteer Recruitment Assistance – Through these calls, we came to understand more about the challenges of recruiting new volunteers. National has been able to provide solutions/opportunities to increase volunteer awareness through targeted surveys that resulted in members showing interest in getting involved with the chapter.

Diamonds Award Page – One of our chapters asked about applying for the Diamond award and the best practices around this initiative. We are currently developing a webpage with resources and best practices for our chapters that are interested in applying for this prestigious award.

Member Satisfaction Survey – Through many of our discussions, we’ve continually heard chapters speaking about the difficulty of getting members engaged.  Because of this feedback, we’ve developed a member satisfaction survey template, that will allow chapters to better understand how to meet their members’ needs and how to engage with them. A survey template will be available on ANFPConnect in the coming weeks.

Educating Chapter Leaders on the Apprenticeship Program – Chapters also voiced their concerns about the future of the industry and recruiting new CDM, CFPPs. This gave us the opportunity to introduce our Apprenticeship Program which chapters can apply to their recruitment efforts. We encourage our chapter leaders to join us on November 15 at 2:00 PM CT to learn more about this program. To register for the webinar, please click here.

If you’d like to schedule a one-on-one call with the CLT and staff, please contact Abigail Solazzo, at asolazzo@ANFPonline.org or be sure to submit your chapter’s name during our next survey period in January 2024.

We’d like to recognize you as our Volunteer of the Month. Please send your nominations to asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.

Below are upcoming deadlines for rebate requirements.

2023 October Bank Statement - Due November 30

Thank you to those thar were able to join us last Monday to go over the new financial policy and participate in the training of the new financial template. For those of you that were not able to attend, you can watch the recording here.

NFEF offers special grants to current and aspiring CDM, CFPPs that cover registration fees to ANFP educational events that include the Annual Conference & Expo (ACE) and Regional Meetings. The Foundation also offers grants to off-set ANFP Approved Training program costs, CDM, CFPP Credentialing Exam registration fees and study materials, ANFP membership dues and certification fees and federal disaster relief. Find out which grant is right for you by clicking here.

Join ANFP in celebrating our inaugural National CDM, CFPP Day of the Year on November 28!
As members of ANFP, this is a celebration of the impact that CDM, CFPPs have made in the profession of foodservice management and food safety, and the recognition of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implementing regulatory language that includes the Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional (CDM, CFPP) credential as the primary qualification for the Director of Food and Nutrition Services in the absence of a full-time dietitian in long-term care settings.

This national day will give our organization and its members and employers the opportunity to recognize the vital work that foodservice professionals perform daily.

For ways you can celebrate a fellow CDM, CFPP, or to recognize your staff, visit the National CDM, CFPP Day of the Year website at https://www.anfponline.org/events-community/national-cdm-cfpp-day-of-the-year. Here you can also download the social media toolkit, promotional flyer, and logo.

We always look forward to the start of the fall season. Chapter events are in full swing, new officers will be installed (for some chapters), and new chapter goals are starting to take shape. One of your chapter goals may include increasing the number of volunteers within your chapter. To help our chapters achieve this goal or support them in their recruitment efforts, ANFP has created a new webpage for year-round volunteer recruitment. Learn about how this new feature can help bolster your volunteer numbers and increase engagement.

Opportunities to Volunteer Year-Round – Members can submit their name through an online form at any time, not just at the time a call for volunteers is open or at a live meeting. The prospective volunteer information is then sent to the chapter president to contact the prospect directly to start their volunteer journey right away.

Benefits of Volunteering – The new webpage includes the benefits of volunteering that were not always apparent to those that are new to volunteering. In addition to sharing your own stories, members can now learn the benefits that await them as a new volunteer.

Allows Prospective Volunteers to Choose – When a prospective volunteer completes the online chapter interest form, they can choose what role they’re interested in. While their role of choice may not be available at the time of their submission, chances are the chapter can find a spot for them that will allow them to eventually serve in the desired role and learn new skills while doing so. 

Includes National Call for Volunteers – Prospective volunteers can submit their names to volunteer at the chapter and National level. While the National Call for Volunteers does not officially open until October 1, any member interested in serving at the National level can submit their name and be added to a list to receive more information and the notification when it opens. In the meantime, prospective volunteers can get involved at the state level by completing the chapter interest form.

To view the new ANFP volunteer recruitment page, click here.

This month we are recognizing Paige Thibault, CDM, CFPP, of the South Carolina (SC) ANFP Chapter as the Volunteer of the Month.  

Paige Thibault first began her career as a dietary manager in Louisiana in 2011. Acting as both the kitchen manager and clinical director, she completed her certification to become a CDM, CFPP in 2013 and joined ANFP. Paige continued her career in Louisiana for three more years and was an active member of the Louisiana ANFP chapter during that time.

In 2016, Paige returned to South Carolina to be closer to her son and two grandchildren.  For the next seven years, she worked as an account manager in Anderson, South Carolina, specializing in clinical nutrition. During that time, she began volunteering with the SC ANFP chapter as president-elect. She continued to work her way up serving as vice president and now currently serving as the chapter president while working as the CDM, CFPP at Rolling Green Village.

As president, Paige is working on increasing engagement of members and building a more robust volunteer pool to carry the legacy of the SC ANFP chapter forward. 

Thank you, Paige for your continued hard work and enthusiasm for the SC ANFP chapter! Our chapters continue to thrive with leaders like you at the helm. Thank you!

We’d like to recognize you as our Volunteer of the Month. Please send your nominations to asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.