The School Services of Montana (SSoM) Cooperative Food Purchasing Program provides quality food and food service supply items to K-12 schools and child-based organizations across Montana at a substantial cost savings through high-volume bid purchasing. Our program provides provides Food Service Directors with more choices, greater flexibility, higher fulfillment rates, lower costs, less frustration, and happier, well fed students! 

Details - Features - Benefits​
  • Every participant receives the same great pricing;
  • This program costs ZERO DOLLARS - no membership or admin fees charged to participants!
  • Access US Foods entire database of food, disposables, smallwares, etc.;
  • LIVE website increases fulfillment rates to near pre-pandemic levels and suggests alternates if your preferred item is out of stock;
  • Place orders as needed, receive deliveries as often as weekly, make adjustments to items & quantities up until 4pm the day before your delivery;
  • Use this program for ALL your district's food needs: breakfast, lunch, snacks, backpack programs,  concessions, fundraising events, and more;
  • Every district receives a dedicated US Foods account executive;
  • Program benefits begin July 1st of each year and run concurrently with the K-12 fiscal year.

Our goal is to provide your district with a purchasing program that meets the diverse needs of your school's nutrition program so you can focus on what's most important - feeding your students. Thank you for taking the time to visit our Program Details page. 

24-25 SY K-12 OPT-IN FORM
Districts who choose to participate in our Co-op Food Program must complete and return Page 1 of the Opt-In form (click the blue button to view and download). For many of you it will look similar to the Signature Page you used to sign and return when you placed orders through the "old" SSoM co-op food program - delivery & billing address, Food Service Director name & contact info, and 2 signatures. Return instructions are included at the bottom: return Page 1 and keep Pages 2 & 3 for your records.
PLEASE NOTE: because we do not charge participants a fee to access this program or it's benefits, current participants are not required to sign a new Opt-In Form to renew their participation - it has been rolled over with the Bid Contract roll-over.
NEW! 24 - 25 SY Licensed Early Childhood Learning Educators
🌻 Our Co-op Food Program is now open to licensed Montana Early Childhood Learning Centers and Educators! Please read the details on Page 2 & 3 of the Opt-In Form for Early Childhood Learning Educators, then contact Executive Director, Melissa Tovaas.

PROGRAM FAQs

We are grateful for the tremendous positive response we have received about this new opportunity for school nutrition programs in Montana. In discussing this new bid with Food Service Directors across the state, we worked diligently to answer the questions they had about our new program. Given that many of you may be asking the same questions, we put together this FAQ to provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information about our new and improved statewide cooperative food purchasing program. ​
Q. Why did SSoM change its cooperative food purchasing program in 2022? 
A. For years, SSoM operated a fixed price bid, meaning that we would assemble a selection of high-volume, high-quality items and put them out to bid at a fixed price. With the impact of the pandemic, unanticipated product shortages, and resulting inflation, distributors in Montana were unlikely to be able to make a similar commitment going forward. As a result, we revised our food program to actively seek and secure the lowest possible pricing options and the widest array of products for Montana schools. 

Q. What advantages does this new SSoM program provide to our district? 
A. With this new food bid, we are no longer limited to a set number of high-volume products. Schools will now have access to the entire product catalogue offered by the bid winner. Further, our bid language specifically requests bid pricing with the participation of a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO). By utilizing a GPO, we can increase our purchasing power and keep costs as low as humanly possible. 

Q. Who can participate in the SSoM cooperative food bid? 
A. Any public or private school or youth serving agency in Montana is eligible to participate. You do not need to be a SSoM member school to participate, and we do not charge any additional fees for participating in this program. To be clear, participation is FREE and open to all. 
 
Q. What makes SSoM’s cooperative purchasing program unique? 
A. SSoM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a statewide cooperative food program. We are for Montana, not for profit. 
  • Because we are nonprofit, we will not be beat on price. 
  • SSoM places tremendous value on our relationships with Food Service Directors across the state, and we pledge to do whatever we can to meet your specific needs. 
  • As a result, we will not pressure or deceive you about any of your purchasing options – you can order what you want when you need it. 
  • SSoM is your advocate. Programs like these necessarily require the participation of multiple parties across the state and country to be successful. SSoM will be your advocate to make sure you continue to get the high quality of service and low pricing that you deserve. 
  
Q. Can we participate in the SSoM program at the same time as other cooperative purchasing programs? 
A. Yes. Like all similar programs, the SSoM cooperative food bid has minimum purchase requirements set by the distributor to ensure that all Montana schools can access the lowest prices and highest quality items to meet the needs of their nutrition programs. As long as these requirements are met, there is absolutely no restriction whatsoever, either in our RFP or contract, that would prohibit you from taking advantage of other cooperative purchasing opportunities. 
 
Q. This sounds great – how do Schools get started? 
A. The process could not be easier. Simply return your completed Opt-in Form to SSoM, and we will get the process started. Each new school year's program begins on July 1st and runs through June 30th of the following year.  
  
Q. We have a few more questions – can we contact you to discuss? 
A. We would love to hear from you! Please contact:
​Nora Gibbons  | (406) 255-7174 |  ngibbons*  |  see footer below

FACTS ABOUT SSoM

School Services of Montana is a 501(c)(3) NON-PROFIT, and we offer this Co-op Food Purchasing Program to every school district in Montana. Our Board of Directors is comprised of superintendents from class AA, A, B, and C school districts across the state and is elected by our member school districts.

Our core beliefs include honesty, integrity, and authenticity: we don't believe in high pressure sales, fear tactics or guerilla marketing. We will earn your business, and we are committed to offering the LOWEST PRICES AVAILABLE through our food program. As a non-profit with extremely low overhead, all profits go directly into expanding our programs & services, providing affordable and FREE PD, and supporting Montana schools, NOT into increased private company executive pay and bonuses.
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You DO NOT have to be a member of SSoM to utilize our food program. However, there are discounts, low cost and FREE professional development opportunities, and members-only programs available to our member districts. Click here for details!

RESOURCE CENTER

USDA Food & Nutrition Service (FNS)
2024 Reimbursement Rates (combined) for the Summer Food Service Program
effective January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024  |  read the FNS full notice here (PDF)
USDA Team Nutrition  "Fueling Children's Healthy Growth, Learning, and Play"
Team Nutrition is an initiative of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service  (via US Dept of Agriculture) to support the child nutrition programs through training and technical assistance for foodservice, nutrition education for children and their caregivers, and school and community support for healthy eating and physical activity.
 Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) for Schools - Meals for Schools and Childcare
FNS has established the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative to improve the nutritional quality of school meals through food systems transformation, school food authority recognition and technical assistance, the generation and sharing of innovative ideas and tested practices, and grants.
Resource Highlights: HMI Incentives Grants for Small &/or Rural School Food  Authorities (full details in the HMI link above)
Congrats to the 4 Districts in Montana who have been awarded grants: Power School District, Deer Lodge Elementary, Gallatin Gateway School District, and Livingston School District!

Montana Team Nutrition
​In collaboration with partners across the state, Montana Team Nutrition leverages evidence-based practices and policies to provide training, resources, and support to K-12schools that promote engaging food-based education, foster positive food relationships, and cultivate healthy school environments.
  • Resources  Healthy & Pleasant Mealtimes | Nutrition Education | School Wellness Policy | PD for School Nutrition Staff | Connect
  • Current & New Projects  Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice Checklists | Roadmap to Building Quality School Meals | 2021 Harvesting Montana Recipes Project

School Nutrition Association (SNA) 
SNA is the national organization of school nutrition professionals committed to advancing the quality of school meal programs through education and advocacy.
  • School Nutrition Procurement for School Business Officials: A Primer - share SNA's primer to help business officials within your district understand the nuances and importance of school nutrition procurement (PDF coming soon)
  • Procurement Resources to help you manage effective, fair, transparent, and competitive procurement practices: 
  • SNA Learning Center  Breakfast in the Classroom | Culinary Skills | Financial Management | Training Zone | Procurement | USDA Professional Standards  |  etc.
  • Food Allergy Resource Center  Ask the Allergy Expert | The Big 9 | CDC Resources | Food Allergy Training | FAQ | Additional Resources 

Montana School Nutrition Association (MTSNA)
Membership in MTSNA helps you stay up to date with school nutrition requirements and guidelines. As an SNA member, you have access to the national and state SNA websites, quarterly newsletters, and a monthly magazine subscription. Each of these resources is full of info to help you as a school nutrition professional, including menu ideas, PD, news that impacts child nutrition programs, scholarship opportunities, and more.

Montana OPI School Nutrition Programs
OPI's School Nutrition Programs collaborate with the child nutrition community to provide high-quality training, support, and resources to ensure program integrity and access to nourishing meals. 
  • Resources  Summer Pandemic EBT Info | School Nutrition Program Login & Contact Page | Supply Chain Assistance for Schools
  • Resource Highlights  School Meal Programs | Summer Food Service Program | USDA Foods & DOD Fresh | Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program | Procurement | Professional Standards & Training | Agreements, Claims, & Data, and more : )
  • Meet your OPI School Nutrition Team HERE

No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry. At No Kid Hungry, that's our promise. If it sounds simple, that's because it is.
Questions? CONTACT

Nora Gibbons
office (406) 255-7174
email:  ngibbons*