District/School Administration PK-16 Program Support
Nutrition, Health and Safety

Commodity Update
May 2008

Donated Food Ordering Procedures

Electronic Commodity Food Allocation/Acceptance Notice

All schools, including Residential Child Care Institutions and Child and Adult Care Centers are required to submit the Food Allocation/Acceptance Notice (offer sheet) electronically via the Internet. Schools and Child and Adult Care Centers no longer receive a printed offer sheet, Commodity Update or notices from this office. Offer sheets will be available on line the fourth Friday of the preceding month. Orders must be submitted by the third Friday of the month for which the offer sheet is available. After that date, the foods listed on the offer will be reallocated with the next month's offers. May's order is due no later than May 16, 2008.

Please allow five days from the date you submit your order before calling the warehouse or carrier for a delivery date. All orders must be picked up by the end of the following month.

Reimbursement for Processed Products Made from Beef Supplied by Westland Meat Company

A public voucher has been submitted to USDA for reimbursement for costs incurred by schools and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for disposal of processed products made from beef supplied by Westland Meat Company.

USDA has notified this office that they will make every effort to reimburse these costs. In order to receive reimbursement, you must have submitted the Documentation of Costs to Destroy Processed Products Made from Beef Supplied by Westland Beef Company Form, mailed to you on March 25th no later than April 7, 2008. At this time, we do not have specific information regarding when or how much reimbursement will be available to your school.

Several school districts submitted claims after the public voucher was submitted to USDA. We cannot guarantee that these claims will be reimbursed.

Physical Inventory

All warehouses will be closed for two weeks from June 16-30 for physical inventory. If you plan to submit a June order, please do so early in the month to allow for delivery before the warehouses close for physical inventory.

We are requesting that USDA donated foods and processed foods in school's private storage accounts be depleted before June 13. This will avoid the necessity of state personnel counting and tracking private storage accounts during physical inventory. Thank you for your cooperation; by working together we can make the physical inventory a more efficient process.

Food Distribution Staff Directory

Martha Herlihy, Section Head 781-338-6473
mherlihy@doe.mass.edu

Ahmed Bilimoria
781-338-6506
abilimoria@doe.mass.edu
Internet offer sheet questions, Shipping and receiving questions

Darlene Wong-Kam
781-338-6478
Dwong-kam@doe.mass.edu
Processing questions

Donna Taylor
781-338-6320
dtaylor@doe.mass.edu
TEFAP and Summer Camp Questions

Alice Yee
781-338-6453
ayee@doe.mass.edu
Invoice reprints

Michael Murphy
781-338-6542
mjmurphy@doe.mass.edu
Invoice reprints