This month we are featuring Esthela Conlu, CDM, CFPP, of the CA ANFP chapter. After passing the exam in 2005, Esthela was invited by fellow member Karmen Kortie, CDM, CFPP to greet nutrition students at the local college. She has remained involved with the chapter ever since. During her many years of service with CA ANFP, Esthela has served in many roles, including membership chair, treasurer (8 years), and is currently the president. Additionally, she has previously served as the webmaster, which required frequent communication with the members. She found this role very beneficial to her professional growth. Since she has served for several years in various leadership roles, she has become a steadfast, recognizable, and trustworthy volunteer that members have come to rely on for support.

As Esthela looks to the future of the CA chapter, she looks forward to working with a robust board that will allow them to do more for members, like providing a HELP desk to assist CDMs with day-to-day operations. As not all CDMs have a consistent resource at their facilities, she would like to utilize chapter leaders or a committee as their help line. While chapter meetings and workshops are great learning opportunities, she believes a live person, able to answer questions in real-time, would serve the members well.

When it comes to volunteering, Esthela recognizes it takes time out of her busy schedule, but she finds it to be very fulfilling. Whether she is volunteering with ANFP, at the local food bank, as a math tutor, or singing with the church choir, she truly believes, “when you are a volunteer, you’ll always be appreciated.” She finds the appreciation of her service that she receives from the community to be most rewarding. She wants ANFP members to know: “You have what it takes, and we are waiting for you.”

Congratulations to Esthela for her success as a CDM, CFPP and as a dedicated ANFP volunteer throughout the years! Thank you for your dedication to ANFP, your chapter, and our members!

If you would like to nominate yourself or another volunteer, please email Abigail Solazzo at asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.

We are in full swing of ANFP chapters meetings season. Along with education and networking, many chapters conduct a fundraising event during the meeting. Chapters fundraise for various reasons, but each does so with the purpose to support and benefit our members and organization. As each chapter works very hard on fundraising efforts, we want to be sure those efforts are not in vain. With that said, we want to be sure we are in compliance with federal guidelines when it comes to fundraising and donations, specifically those related to PAC. Below is a friendly reminder of our PAC donation policies, which were implemented to ensure each dollar raised is reported correctly.

By law (the Federal Election Campaign Act), ANFP members are eligible to make contributions to the association’s Political Action Committee, ANFP-PAC. Members include professional, certified, retired, and allied professional members.

All donations (contributions) must be from personal funds using cash, check, or credit card, and must be accompanied with a PAC donation form and be submitted within 30 days of the donation. This form must include full name, address, email address, ANFP membership ID number, and signature (contributions are not tax deductible).

For more information or to download the form and make an individual donation, please go to our Safe Food for Seniors Act page: http://www.anfponline.org/government-affairs/home/contribute-to-ANFP-PAC

Please note that chapters themselves cannot contribute to ANFP-PAC. If chapters receive individual donations, they must remit payments to ANFP-PAC immediately following any collection of donations. Also, because corporations are prohibited from contributing to ANFP-PAC, chapters should not accept such contributions from vendors at state meetings.

The July rebate deadline has passed. If you have not already submitted the required documents in order to be eligible for the rebate, please do so as soon as possible.

• Officers entered in chapter portal for the volunteer year (June 1 - May 31). Officers must be entered each year regardless of length of term or when their terms start/end. For directions on how to add current officers, click here.
• Chapter Fall Meeting Dates
• 990 filed and E-receipt submitted
• Bi-Annual Chapter Rebate Achievement Report - Part 1
• Finance Committee established (consists of a minimum two board members and two non-board members). Use sample finance committee composition template

• Signed (by the president) affiliate agreement (2019 agreement is available on ANFPConnect in Volunteer Resources, Board Governance).
• Proof of attendance from one chapter leader, for one ANFP chapter leadership course (Chapter Best Practices at ACE or regional meeting, online leadership courses, chapter chats (through April))
  • Please be sure to include the chapter leader's name, name of the sessions, and session date.

This month we are featuring Angela Mims, CDM, CFPP, of the AL ANFP chapter. Angela first joined ANFP as a student in 2000 and became certified in October of the same year. Angela’s volunteer career spans many years and various roles and organizations, including kitchen program coordinator at a local soup kitchen and guidance counselor at the YMCA.

Angela’s volunteer career with ANFP started in 2015 as president-elect, eventually serving as president as well as treasurer for the AL ANFP chapter. She also served on the Chapter Leadership Team from 2017 – 2019.

Through Angela’s dedicated leadership, she has continued to keep members involved through continuous communication and improving the overall efficiency of the chapter through process and procedures.

Additionally, as an impactful leader, Angela has encouraged members to keep an open mind when it comes to change, whether related to the chapter or the industry, which in turn has motivated many members to stay engaged with the chapter.

As for the future of AL ANFP, Angela would like to see the chapter win the coveted Diamond Award. In addition to winning the award, she would also like to see the chapter continue to grow its membership as much as 50%.

For those that are hesitant to volunteer or become involved with the chapter, Angela encourages everyone to volunteer and take a role, as there are many exciting things to learn through the experience. She believes it allows members a chance to utilize their skills for an experience that will ultimately improve their careers. She encourages members to not be afraid to take on the challenge; assistance for new volunteers is available at the state and national level. Volunteering also gives members the opportunity to learn, network, meet new people, and generate new ideas for your state chapter.  Angela firmly believes that “You can make a difference in your state chapter” through volunteering. 

Congratulations to Angela and her success as a CDM and with ANFP throughout the years! Thank you for your dedication to ANFP, your chapter, and to our members!

If you would like to nominate yourself or another volunteer, please email Abigail Solazzo at asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

We have over 30 chapter meetings taking place throughout the country this fall. For those chapters holding meetings, this presents a face-to-face opportunity to engage and recruit members and volunteers. While it is always a good idea to have volunteers complete a volunteer interest form or give prospective members a brochure, we want to apply different strategies that personalize the experience for newcomers and first-timers to encourage them to get involved.

Welcome gifts – Many of our chapters give welcome gifts to first-timers or prospective members as well as current members. This gesture is personal and appreciated, especially if it opens the door to strike up a conversation with a potential volunteer or member.

Meeting partner – Think back to your first time attending a chapter meeting. Perhaps it was intimidating or overwhelming not knowing anyone or what to expect. To ensure prospective members have a positive experience, select a handful of meeting veterans to be designated as a their ‘meeting partner’. The meeting partner will be paired with a first-timer and act as a liaison throughout the meeting. Ensure newcomers are introduced to chapter leaders, exhibitors and other members, or accompany them to special events or sessions to ensure they feel welcome.   

New member advisors – This role takes the meeting partner strategy one step further. Like the meeting partner, new member advisors are there to ensure your new members have a positive experience throughout their first year (and beyond) of membership. Once again, you’ll need a select group of veteran members to be matched with new members. An advisor provides new members the opportunity have someone they can call with questions or concerns related to their membership, chapter involvement, or industry-related issues at any point throughout the year.

Specify the jobs or tasks – While each chapter distributes a call for volunteers, it doesn’t always result in many potential volunteers. At your next chapter meeting, specify the exact jobs that need to be completed or roles to be filled, giving members a very clear picture of what to expect. Then approach members directly and personally invite them to help with a job or task.

Shadow a volunteer for the day – Encourage members to ‘get a taste’ of what it takes to be a volunteer. Invite members to shadow your current volunteers while at the meeting. They will have the chance to ask questions, learn more about the role, and experience the rewarding role our volunteers play in putting together meetings and events for members.

The rebate deadline has passed. If you have not already submitted the required documents in order to be eligible for the rebate, please do so as soon as possible.

• Officers entered in chapter portal for the volunteer year (June 1 - May 31). (Officers must be entered each year regardless of length of term or when their terms start/end.) For directions on how to add current officers, click here.
• Chapter Fall Meeting Dates
• 990 filed and E-receipt submitted
• Bi-Annual Chapter Rebate Achievement Report - Part 1
• Finance Committee established (consists of a minimum of two board members and two non-board members). Use sample finance committee composition template

#CDMsMatter – Our members were recently informed of proposed changes to the CMS regulations. The below information provides relevant and important information for you and your members as well as suggestions on how CDMs can help bring additional awareness to the importance of their roles and the industry. Please continue to look for more information on this topic in the coming months.

On July 16, 2019, CMS posted a document of PROPOSED changes to the Long-Term Care CoP’s Conditions of Participation/Medicare and Medicaid Programs Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities.

One of the items CMS is proposing changes to is the education requirement for Director of Food and Nutrition Services. Their rationale is that stakeholders are …” concerned about a workforce shortage of certified dietary managers and the financial costs imposed on existing experienced staff to obtain specialized training".

CMS acknowledges that set standards for the person leading the department is important and are putting forth suggestions for how to better reduce the burden by revising the standards to increase flexibility, the specifics being that a minimum standard be set.

It is important for everyone to understand that the current rules are still in effect and this is only a proposal that is open for comments. Once the comment period is over, CMS will review and thoroughly vet them before any decisions and rule changes will be made. This is a common political process.

Please know that ANFP is actively reviewing this proposal and will be submitting comments in support of the current requirements and the CDM, CFPP credential. In our comments we will be sharing data to address their financial concerns. This comes from both our LTC Benchmarking Program and the data we analyze from the CMS Database that ANFP leases, and from which we develop dashboards to help navigate this large database. Additionally, we will address the CDM, CFPP Scope of Practice, which demonstrates the ability of the CDM, CFPP to participate in the IDT when the RDN is not available. We feel confident that our comments will resonate with CMS, much like our comments submitted during the original Rules comment period.

What can you do as a CDM, CFPP or industry stakeholder?

• Comment on the regulations page HERE  
• POST a story of how your credentials have improved residents’ lives or how your community values your CDM.
• Share how hard you work to stay up to date attending Continuing Education trainings to be able to contribute more to your communities and be current with the latest in food safety.
• The importance of being a healthcare professional that can participate in the Care planning team working in tandem with your Dietitian and Nursing staff to support the residents personalized care goals
• Having the knowledge base to serve quality food that is safe and protect your communities from a food borne illness event.
• Share the pride you have in being Certified and how it a healthcare career that improves lives through good food management and safety!
• Unite as a community by adding at the end of your comments- hashtag #CDMsMatter

This month, we are featuring Leonard Turpen, CDM, CFPP, of the KS ANFP chapter. Leonard became a CDM in 1997 and began volunteering when the Jayhawk district formed. Eventually, he became district president, working his way up to chapter president in 2013 through 2016. Leonard is currently serving as the PAC chairman and serves on the Government Affairs Committee as well.

When Leonard first joined ANFP, he would sit in the back row at meetings and listen and observe. Then, he pushed himself, and slowly began to work his way up towards the front of the room at each meeting, eventually working up the courage to become involved as a leader. He encourages members to start moving forward at their own pace, until they're ready to get involved as he did with the support of Kansas ANFP members who helped him become the CDM he is today.

During his many years of volunteering, Leonard played a large part in the meeting planning process. This included overseeing food shows, managing the budget, vetting speakers as well as teaching fundamentals in healthcare at the chapter’s workshops. As an officer, Leonard’s biggest goal was continuous communication with the members. He also enjoys mentoring new CDMs as he recognizes they are the key to the future success of the chapter.

As for the what lies ahead for the KS ANFP chapter, Leonard would to see the chapter continue with Chapter Champions program and to revamp the online newsletter to make it user friendly with easy access to important links and resources. He would also like to see each district become more involved with new membership and leadership roles as well as participate in supporting community services.

One of Leonard’s favorite quotes and something he truly believes as well as demonstrates is: “unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” (by Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Congratulations to Leonard and all his success and hard work! Thank you for your dedication to ANFP as well as the credential!

If you would like to nominate yourself or another volunteer, please email Abigail Solazzo at asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.

By donating $400 or more, your chapter can become an NFEF Chapter Champion. By joining, you are showing your chapter’s support for the Nutrition & Foodservice Education Foundation’s goal to raise visibility of the CDM credential.

Learn More

By donating $400 or more, your chapter can become an NFEF Chapter Champion. By joining, you are showing your chapter’s support for the Nutrition & Foodservice Education Foundation’s goal to raise visibility of the CDM credential.

Learn More

Please note the important deadlines approaching.

• PAST DUE - Officers entered in chapter portal for the volunteer year (June 1 - May 31). (Officers must be entered each year regardless of length of term or when their terms start/end.) For directions on how to add current officers, click here.
• Due July 15 to National –
  • Chapter Fall Meeting Dates
  • 990 filed and E-receipt submitted
  • Bi-Annual Chapter Rebate Achievement Report - Part 1
  • Finance Committee established (consists of a minimum, two board members and two non-board members). Use sample finance committee composition template

This month features Cathy Oberbeck, CDM, CFPP, of the UT ANFP chapter. Cathy has been certified since 2007 and volunteered immediately thereafter. During her 39 years at her facility, she has moved up the ranks, and is now at the latter part of her career, but not slowing down as her department is in the beginning stages of transforming to a room service dining program. 

In 2015, Cathy began serving on the ANFP professional development committee and continues to do so as the chair. Prior to this, she served on the program review committee for three years, and most recently has been appointed to the leadership development committee. 

The UT ANFP board uses the team approach when it comes to chapter management.  While Cathy has been the president in title, as well as newsletter editor, all members of the board contribute to the experience and accomplish all things as a team. 

She believes the biggest impact the board has had on the chapter is partnering with Sysco Intermountain, which has allowed for the chapter to offer complimentary registration at two seminars every year since 2012. Attendees can earn up to 14 credits at each seminar. Her hope is with new members coming in, there will be more members who would like to be a part of the board and possibly serve at the national level.

As a member, she has learned a great deal by having met members from all over the country and bonding over same struggles, triumphs, and scenarios. She has found getting involved and networking at conferences to be very enjoyable and has become a better public speaker because of it.

Cathy loves to travel, play golf, treasure hunt at estate sales with her husband of 41 years, and play with her grandchildren. 

If you would like to nominate yourself or another volunteer, please email Abigail Solazzo at asolazzo@ANFPonline.org.

ANFP’s Annual Conference & Expo (ACE) took place last week in St. Louis, MO. The three-day conference was jammed packed with education, tours, hands-on culinary tables, cooking demonstrations, an expo and an opportunity to network, collaborate and interact with other CDMs and industry professionals from around the country. Below are some additional highlights from the conference.

Volunteer Luncheon – Each year at ACE we are given the opportunity to honor our hardworking volunteers during the volunteer luncheon. We also recognized many chapters that received awards for bi-annual chapter achievement, communications, government affairs and membership. Additionally, we recognized our Diamond award nominees and finalists. All award recipients will be listed in the next issue of Edge.

Diamond Award – During the Honors Gala, Iowa ANFP was announced as this year’s Diamond Award recipient. Iowa ANFP focused on the well-being of animals in relief areas for hardship-laden elders during the state’s long winter months. Through their efforts, such as fundraisers, care packages and supply donations, the chapter made a positive impact that will have a lasting effect on the communities and the individuals that reside in the state. Congratulations Iowa ANFP!

Chapter Best Practices – ACE also provides an opportunity for chapter leaders to meet face to face to discuss challenges and hear solutions from other chapter leaders as well. This year, attendees were presented the opportunity to ‘crowdsource’ ideas to help improve the many aspects of chapter management. Various topics were discussed including meeting planning, member and volunteer recruitment, leadership development and member engagement. Look for more information and ideas that came from this session, in the coming months.

MO ANFP – A special acknowledgement and thank you to the MO ANFP chapter for their generous hospitality and making our members from all over feel welcome in St. Louis! Thank you!

For those that were not able to attend, please mark your calendars for ACE 2020, June 15-18, where we will celebrate ANFP’s 60^th anniversary!

By donating $400 or more, your chapter can become an NFEF Chapter Champion. By joining, you are showing your chapter’s support for the Nutrition & Foodservice Education Foundation’s goal to raise visibility of the CDM credential.

Learn More

ANFP offers an adversity rebate for chapters that need additional financial assistance in addition to their bi-annual rebate and revenue produced from chapter programs. The adversity rebate is to help off-set ANFP chapter operational costs related to meetings, programs, or other initiatives. You may also want to consider applying for this if you are seeking speakers that request honorariums.  If you would like to apply for the adversity rebate, please do so as soon as possible in order to receive a June 30 rebate distribution. Applications are accepted quarterly and can be found on ANFPConnect, Volunteer Resources, Chapter Management.

Please note the important deadlines approaching.

• PAST DUE - Chapter End of the Year Financial Report were due May 15^th (New policy implemented in August 2018). Reports should be submitted to chapters@ANFPonline.org as soon as possible. This report should include a snapshot of the chapter’s finances from April 2018 to April 2019.
• Officers entered in chapter portal for the volunteer year (June 1 - May 31). (Officers must be entered each year regardless of length of term or when their terms start/end.) For directions on how to add current officers, click here.

Carol Rice, CDM, CFPP


This month we are featuring Carol Rice, CDM, CFPP, of the SD ANFP Chapter. Carol has been a member of ANFP since 1996 and started as a volunteer with the chapter in 2004 as the secretary.  In addition to her role as secretary, Carol as also served as the president (2014) and education chairperson, her most current volunteer role. Since becoming a volunteer and working on the board, she has gained knowledge and confidence that have allowed her to work on projects and tasks that serve all SD ANFP members.

Being a volunteer in the state chapter has been a great way for Carol to learn about working as a team and prioritizing training needs for members throughout the state.  Carol also believes that attending the chapter conferences has been a great opportunity to network and discuss challenges and solutions with other CDMs. She feels that members tend to get more from an experience by being together face-to-face, compared to watching webinars. Carol believes that even with the many benefits of technology, we may forget the benefits of human interaction and encourages members to get involved and attend meetings for this reason. SD AFNP hosts a spring and fall conference each year, both of which provide targeted trainings and sessions that are useful in their members’ daily work lives. Carol states that of all the conferences she has attended, the ANFP state and regional conferences have been of the most valuable in her career.

Carol enjoys her role and being involved from the aspect of a volunteer leader. She hopes to gather all SD ANFP members in one location for conferences in the future but encourages members to become more involved in the meantime. She believes everyone has valuable talents and skills that can help SD ANFP grow!

If you would like to nominate yourself or another volunteer, please email Abigail Solazzo at asolazzo@ANFPonline.org. (All nominations are confidential.)

The new volunteer year has officially started (as of June 1) which means new chapter goals have been created in months prior and chapter leaders are prepared to implement the plans to execute the goals. During the time chapter leaders were developing these goals, there was likely much discussion about what the result or outcome that will transpire. While we can set goals and have that expectation of the results, we also need to ensure we have developed the right tools, support and plan of action needed to reach our goals.           

• Plan of Work – Chapters should start with a plan of work. The plan should include expected outcomes (what does the result look like?), tactics or strategies (how will we accomplish this goal?) as well as key performance indicators (KPIs – how do we measure our success?) for each goal. These steps will help define what is necessary to achieve the goal.

• Timelines – In addition to your plan of work, chapters should assign a timeline to each goal and determine what needs to be completed by when. Chapters could also assign who will be responsible for the goal or portions of it.

• Checklists – Chapters should also create checklists that include all the pieces or ‘moving parts’ necessary to achieve the goal. This could include supplies or resources, number of volunteers, skill set, project assignments, or anything else that will support the completion of the chapter’s goals.

• Status Reports – Chapters should have regular discussions about the status of tasks and projects related to the goal. Additionally, volunteers working on the goal should provide the board with regular status updates to ensure deadlines are being met and all work is being completed.

• GRIT – Remember to keep GRIT in mind as you and your fellow chapter leaders work on completing chapter goals. “Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality.”- Angela Duckworth, TED Talks Education, April 2013

We Are Champions!

By donating $400 or more, your chapter can become an NFEF Chapter Champion. By joining, you are showing your chapter’s support for the Nutrition & Foodservice Education Foundation’s goal to raise visibility of the CDM credential.

Get Started

Congratulations to our current Chapter Champions!

ANFP offers an adversity rebate for chapters that need additional financial assistance in addition to their bi-annual rebate and revenue produced from chapter programs. The adversity rebate is to help off-set ANFP chapter operational costs related to meetings, programs, or other initiatives. You may also want to consider applying for this if you are seeking speakers that request honorariums. If you would like to apply for the adversity rebate, the next deadline is June 1, 2019 for a June 30 rebate distribution. Applications are accepted quarterly and can be found on ANFPConnect, Volunteer Resources, Chapter Management. Please note the important deadlines approaching.

• Chapter End of the Year Financial Report - Due May 15
  (New policy implemented in August 2018) submit to chapters@ANFPonline.org. This report should include a snapshot of the chapter’s finances from April 2018 to April 2019.


• Officers entered in chapter portal for future volunteer year (June 1 - May 31). (Officers must be entered each year regardless of length of term.) For directions on how to add future electees, click here.
  Due June 1