The School Nutrition Association hosted its Annual National Conference 2026 in Charlotte from July 12-14, bringing together more than 6,000 school nutrition professionals from across the nation to learn, network and discover new tools, ideas and inspiration needed to elevate school meal programs and support student success. 

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ School Nutrition Services team hosted a pre-conference session titled “Harvest It. Store It. Serve It. Carolina Style!” on Saturday, July 11, giving participants an inside look at how CMS and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services work together to bring farm-fresh, locally made products to students.

“This pre-conference event is such an honor for CMS to showcase what we do best and what we do every day,” said Ashley Lovetere, registered dietician/menu specialist for CMS. “As one of the biggest districts in the country, people don’t realize that even though we’re huge, we’re still serving local items, local produce to our students every day.”

Sixty attendees had an opportunity to visit McClintock Middle School and tour the CMS Food Distribution Warehouse. At McClintock, guests heard presentations on sourcing, promoting and menus integrating Farm to School and state-made products. There were also product displays and cooking demonstrations for participants to see and taste a meal CMS students are served.

At the warehouse, attendees took a walking tour while learning more about the district’s receiving process, inventory flow, cooler and freezer capacity and daily logistics that support meal service for nearly 140,000 students.

“We are proud of every single item we put on a student’s tray,” said Lovetere. “We work with dozens of food vendors, local chefs and farmers to bring in local, fresh items to our students every day. They are our partners, our family, our teammates when it comes to producing these meals for our students.” 

"The story of school nutrition is about much more than serving meals,” said Catherine Essick, executive director of School Nutrition Services. “It is about building relationships with farmers, manufacturers and community partners to ensure students receive fresh, nutritious foods every day. We were honored to share the Carolina model with colleagues from across the nation and showcase the incredible work of our CMS team.”