Uplifting School Food Professionals: Inside the TIPS for School Meals That Rock Community

The TIPS for School Meals That Rock Facebook group (also referred to as TIPS) is a growing community of over 22,700 school food heroes from across the country. Jeanne Reilly, NDTR, SNS, and Dayle Hayes, MS, RD, have been co-administrators of the group since 2018. Hear more from them to learn how members of TIPS for School Meals That Rock uplift and celebrate each other every day.

1. What initially led you to create TIPS for School Meals That Rock?

The Facebook group grew out of the page where Dayle had been documenting the exciting changes going on in school nutrition programs nationwide. Our hope was that the TIPS group would provide a place for school lunch heroes to tell their stories in their own words. It has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams! We debuted the group at the School Nutrition Association’s 2019 SNIC Meeting in Austin, Texas, with about 4,000 members – and by December 2019 we had over 10,000 members.

2. How has this resource created a sense of community among school food professionals?

We believe that several factors contribute to the strong community of school nutrition professionals on TIPS for School Meals That Rock. They are embodied in our rules which have evolved only slightly over time.

• It is key that we do not allow any sales or marketing. This has sometimes been difficult since many entities (brands, commodity boards, etc.) want to reach our thousands of members.

• Our focus is on members - their needs and their questions – rather than on something we think that school districts should be doing in terms of food and nutrition.

• We have cultivated a safe, positive space where members can share frustrations and challenges as well as successes. Ranting and political views are not allowed.

• Jeanne and Dayle act as cheerleaders and provide resources. We do not try to solve problems posed by members. TIPS is ALL about crowdsourcing answers from colleagues.

Many folks have been members for years. Longevity combined with a philosophy based on support, inspiration, and kindness leads to community.

3. Can you describe any memorable moments or feedback that you’ve seen related to the TIPS group?

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a 2-year long memorable moment on TIPS for School Meals That Rock. In 2019 we had NO idea that March 2020 would be such a pivotal moment for School Lunch Heroes! As school nutrition staff were confronted with continuously changing policies and completely uncharted waters, they needed someplace to find out how their colleagues were coping and pivoting. Before federal and state agencies got up to speed and started virtual meetings, TIPS members could check in (day or night, 24/7) for advice, ideas, and virtual group hugs.

Not every memorable moment on TIPS involves a celebrity chef or videos from districts across the country. There are special moments every day – from a post about receiving 100% on a sanitation score to how a crew of two (with three colleagues out sick) fed lunch to 600 students (during a visit by the local sanitarian in some cases!). Some of our favorites are the thank you (aka love) notes from students and the posts from someone who crowd-sourced an immediate answer while on hold with a company or agency.

4. Is there anything else you’d want people to know about the TIPS page?

Jeanne and I make all decisions about group management together. We welcome member input, suggestions for change, and criticisms. We don’t always have the right answer immediately, but we work hard to keep the needs of members and the sense of community always top of mind. Honestly, our focus is not on super-star districts that have the resources to do everything they want. It is on most of the USA SCHOOL LUNCH HEROES who are working hard every day to do the best they can with what they have – often with significant challenges and many obstacles.

We would like to thank Jeanne Reilly, NDTR, SNS, and Dayle Hayes, MS, RD, for supporting school food professionals through this special community. Additionally, we’d like to recognize all the amazing members of TIPS for lifting each other up and sharing creative ways to feed our nation’s kids healthy school meals. Check out TIPS for School Meals That Rock or its sister group TIPS TO SUCCEED: School Meals Small and Rural Districts to find tools, resources, and support from other school lunch heroes!