Giving School Food Professionals a Voice in Washington, D.C.
January 28, 2026 | By
Investing in the school food workforce is essential. We recently brought the National School Food Workforce Advisory Committee to Capitol Hill to brief congressional staff on the challenges school food professionals face and the solutions Congress can provide.
The Chef Ann Foundation is leading school food advocacy efforts by convening the National School Food Workforce Coalition to unite organizations, advocates, and operators around a shared goal: to ensure school food professionals have the resources and support they need to succeed.
The coalition membership includes experts from:
- organizations such as California School Employees Association, National Education Association, Chef Ann Foundation, Food Insight Group, From Now On Fund, Jobs for the Future, and School Nutrition Association.
- Universities such as the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Wisconsin—Madison.
- K-12 school districts such as Groton Central School District in New York, Sweetwater Union High School District in California, Baltimore City Public Schools in Maryland, and Birmingham City Schools in Alabama.
The Chef Ann Foundation is leading school food advocacy efforts by convening the National School Food Workforce Coalition to unite organizations, advocates, and operators around a shared goal: to ensure school food professionals have the resources and support they need to succeed.
The coalition membership includes experts from:
- organizations such as California School Employees Association, National Education Association, Chef Ann Foundation, Food Insight Group, From Now On Fund, Jobs for the Future, and School Nutrition Association.
- Universities such as the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Wisconsin—Madison.
- K-12 school districts such as Groton Central School District in New York, Sweetwater Union High School District in California, Baltimore City Public Schools in Maryland, and Birmingham City Schools in Alabama.
Our team met with 11 congressional offices, logging 15,239 steps as we traveled between the House and Senate buildings, navigating security checkpoints and underground tunnels. We prioritized offices with members on the U.S. Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committee and the U.S. House Education & Workforce Committee, which primarily oversee school nutrition and workforce issues in Congress. Each meeting was an opportunity to elevate the voices of school food professionals and cement the urgent need for workforce development.
Bringing data, facts, and policy proposals to Capitol meetings is a critical part of effective advocacy – but what truly moves the conversation forward are the real-life stories of those directly impacted.
Our team met with 11 congressional offices, logging 15,239 steps as we traveled between the House and Senate buildings, navigating security checkpoints and underground tunnels. We prioritized offices with members on the U.S. Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committee and the U.S. House Education & Workforce Committee, which primarily oversee school nutrition and workforce issues in Congress. Each meeting was an opportunity to elevate the voices of school food professionals and cement the urgent need for workforce development.
Bringing data, facts, and policy proposals to Capitol meetings is a critical part of effective advocacy – but what truly moves the conversation forward are the real-life stories of those directly impacted.
On the panel, Maggie and Perren were joined by Food Insight Group’s Rebecca Harnick, National Education Association’s Angelica Castanon, with the panel being moderated by MJ Kepner of the Chef Ann Foundation.
All spoke candidly on a variety of issues, including staffing shortages, low wages, lack of training pathways, and barriers to procuring healthy, whole ingredients, and how these challenges directly affect schools’ ability to cook fresh, healthy meals from scratch.
This briefing created space for an open dialogue among congressional offices on both sides of the political aisle, illustrating that supporting children’s health through school food workforce development is a goal we can all get behind.
On the panel, Maggie and Perren were joined by Food Insight Group’s Rebecca Harnick, National Education Association’s Angelica Castanon, with the panel being moderated by MJ Kepner of the Chef Ann Foundation.
All spoke candidly on a variety of issues, including staffing shortages, low wages, lack of training pathways, and barriers to procuring healthy, whole ingredients, and how these challenges directly affect schools’ ability to cook fresh, healthy meals from scratch.
This briefing created space for an open dialogue among congressional offices on both sides of the political aisle, illustrating that supporting children’s health through school food workforce development is a goal we can all get behind.
