School Nutrition Association Announces Regional Award Winners

The national, non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has named Melinda Bonner, MBA, RD, SNS, director of food and nutrition services for Hoover City Schools, AL, the Southeast regional Director of the Year. The award recognizes the extraordinary contributions of school nutrition directors who manage effective school meal programs providing healthy, appetizing meals to students. A little more than a year since COVID-19 created new logistical challenges for school nutrition directors, SNA continues to applaud the dedication, ingenuity and compassion shown by its members who have excelled in keeping students fed during the pandemic.

With 35 years of food and nutrition service experience, and 15 years of that in schools, Bonner took over as director eight years ago and restructured the Hoover City Schools child nutrition department. She led changes to help increase efficiency and productivity of cafeterias. Bonner streamlined elementary school serving lines, added high school coffee shops offering grab-n-go Smart Snacks and refrigerated vending machines at various locations throughout the campus, as well as implementing a Healthy Classroom Snack Program. Students can use their child nutrition program accounts at any of these locations, which greatly increased school meal access. Bonner created ways to improve participation elsewhere in the district, including converting a retired school bus to a school meal food truck called “Meals In Motion.”

In order to attract students and make the cafeteria more fun, Bonner has encouraged managers to decorate, dress up in costume and offer activities during National School Lunch and Breakfast Weeks and food themed days. Decorations, bulletin board supplies and resources are provided to the school cafeteria managers in conjunction with the special menus to increase student engagement.

Bonner is always looking for ways to educate her staff and give them new training opportunities, coordinating guest speakers and connecting members with experts to teach them new skills. She believes promoting child nutrition program benefits for district students is an important part of their job. Every year during National School Lunch Week, Bonner invites the mayor, city council, school board and superintendent to serve meals in the 16 schools of the district. This provides an opportunity to share a firsthand look at the federal requirements and program mandates, a great educational opportunity to those who don’t work in foodservice.

She has served as the School Nutrition Foundation ambassador from 2019-2020 in addition to her six years on the Alabama School Nutrition Board. She inspires other staff to attend SNA trainings and conferences, including submitting for First Timers Scholarships to SNA’s Annual National Conference.

“Melinda Bonner puts her whole heart into her job, dedicating her time to ensure each child in her district has access to healthy, balanced and appetizing school meal options,” said SNA President Reginald Ross, SNS.

The regional Director of the Year Award was created to recognize school nutrition directors who exhibit an extraordinary commitment to their school meal programs. The directors are responsible for maintaining the quality of the program through student interaction, menu planning and a commitment to serving nutritious, tasty and well-balanced school meals. Through effective oversight of all aspects of foodservice operations, including budgeting, staffing, training, marketing and community outreach, school nutrition directors ensure the overall success of school meal programs.

On May 5, 2021, Bonner was honored during the first-ever “Our Heroes: Celebrating the 2021 SNA Award Winners” virtual event. Nominees, nominators, state leaders, Board of Directors, Leadership Development Committee and Back to School Summit attendees will be invited to celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s SNA award winners.

About School Nutrition Association:

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 50,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals.