FIG K12

This morning, we did something during our team meeting that had absolutely nothing to do with sales numbers, development projects, customer lists or deadlines.

We told each other what we appreciate about one another.

Then I asked everyone an even harder question:

What do you love about YOU?

The answers were funny, emotional, honest and incredibly revealing.

We have people who build. People who sell. People who care deeply for customers. People who organize the chaos. People who create. People who keep learning. People who keep trying. People who see possibilities. And even Grace, our automated teammate, has a role in helping all of those humans do what they do best.

What struck me most was that we didn't all identify the same strengths.

And maybe that's the whole point.

None of us has to be everything because everybody brings something.

We spend so much time at work talking about what needs to be done next or what we could do better that sometimes we forget to tell people what we already see in them.

Today, we did.

Different strengths. One team. One mission.

We know what we got.

Puppy Paths at the 2nd Annual FIG Family Reunion. 🐾

We built this into the agenda on purpose. When school nutrition folks from all over the country come to Pensacola, we want them to meet Pensacola — not just the inside of a conference room.

So on the morning of June 8, the FIG family walked the bayfront with a pack of adoptable puppies from the Pensacola Humane Society. "Walk a Future Best Friend" was the assignment. Several of you took it very seriously.

Here's the thing we keep coming back to: the best partnerships are almost always local. The shelter down the road. The food bank across town. The coffee truck run by somebody's neighbor. You don't have to look far to find someone doing good work who'd say yes if you asked.

Thank you to the for bringing the pups, the leashes, and the patience. And thank you to Es Foods for sponsoring the Travelin' Tom's Coffee of Greater Pensacola Coffee truck that kept everybody moving.

There's a shelter near you with a whole hallway of these faces. Your new best friend might just be right down the street. 🧡

Quick gut check for the school nutrition folks: do you know what percentage of your food purchases are non-domestic right now?

If the answer is "not exactly," you're in very good company — and you have less runway than you think. The cap is 10% today, 8% in SY 2028-29, and 5% by SY 2031-32. The technical-assistance grace period is over.

Marla from Peterson Farms Fresh tackled this at the FIG Annual Family Reunion, and the biggest myth in the room went down fast: items on the FAR list — bananas, bamboo shoots, olive oil — still count toward your cap. There's no exception list that gets you off the hook. Everything gets tracked.

We recorded it so you don't have to take our word for it. 15 minutes, free, 0.25 CEU:
https://figk-12.com/course/buy-american-2026

Where does your district stand today — and what's actually working to bring the number down? One of the best things about this field is that we tell each other. Drop it below.

Huge thanks to Peterson Farms Fresh for sending Marla and for supporting the Family Reunion. 💚

"Best interactive Civil Rights course I have taken. I actually retained the information because I could relate it to myself and my job."

That comment is exactly why we created this course.

Annual Civil Rights training is required. Remembering it is what makes the difference.

Our goal was to build a training experience that school nutrition professionals would actually enjoy, understand, and apply in their cafeterias every day—not simply complete to earn a certificate.

The FREE 2026–2027 USDA Civil Rights Training includes:

• 30-minute self-paced online course
• Available in 39 languages
• Printable Study Guide
• Comprehension Quiz
• Instant Certificate of Completion
• 0.50 CEU

Whether you're completing your own annual training or preparing your entire department, we invite you to experience the difference.

Take the FREE course today:
https://figk-12.com/course/civil-rights-2026-2027

If this is the type of learning experience you'd like to provide for every required training, we'd love to show you how districts are using FIG LMS to simplify onboarding, compliance, SOPs, certifications, and professional development.

Schedule a personalized demonstration:
https://swan.figk-12.com/

Technology should never be harder than the job you're trying to do.

You didn't get into child nutrition to become an IT expert.

You got into it to feed children.

At the end of the day, your program simply has to answer one question:

Can you prove you served the meals?

That's why we created the FIG CACFP Confidence System.

A complete paper/binder system filled with ready-to-use forms, logs, checklists, and documentation designed by people who understand child nutrition—not software developers.

✔ Organized by program area

✔ Audit-ready documentation

✔ Ready to print and use

✔ Staff-friendly

✔ Absolutely FREE

And when you're ready to stop pushing paper...

We can automate it too.

Because technology should support your mission—not become your mission.

📥 Download your FREE CACFP Confidence System today:
https://sales.figk-12.com/cacfp

Sneak peek. 👀

What you're looking at is the Personal Leadership Credo of our co-founder and CEO, Becki Swan — her story, her values, her non-negotiables, and the promises she makes to the people she leads. All of it captured on paper.

And soon, you'll build your own.

We're putting the finishing touches on a brand-new workshop, led by Becki herself, where you'll create YOUR Personal Leadership Credo. Not a template. Not a worksheet. Your beliefs, your lines you won't cross, your legacy — in a document worthy of framing.

Because as Becki says: "A value is not a value until it costs you something." And leaders who write down what they believe? They lead differently.

The date drops soon. Comment CREDO and you'll be the first to know when registration opens. 💙

And tell us in the comments — what's ONE line that would be in YOUR credo?

Future. Inspire. Grow.