Dear Montana School District Superintendents and Business Clerks,
When it comes to your district’s nutrition program, you get to choose your co-op partner. We are writing to clarify important aspects of the School Services of Montana (SSoM) Cooperative Food Program to help you make that informed decision. Why choose SSoM? Since 2016, when the Montana Office of Public Instruction invited SSoM to assume responsibility for their food program, we have continued to provide a high-quality, high-value program to Montana schools. Below are facts and features about our program that we encourage you to share with your Food Service Director, Board of Trustees, and school community.
SSoM Co-op Food Program FACTS and FEATURES
SSoM is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a statewide Cooperative Food Program. We are for Montana, not for profit.
Participation in this program is FREE and open to ALL Montana schools!
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Schools are NOT required to pay SSoM membership dues to participate - they choose our program by signing our Opt-In Form;
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We eliminated program access fees because our distributor (bid winner) pays us a marketing fee. This allows our dedicated program manager to provide high-quality service, customer support, and program management.
While it is true that both the SSoM program and our "competitor" uses the same distributor (awarded by the same RFP bid process) and offers identical pricing (as required by the distributor), that’s where the similarities END.
Premier, the GPO who secured the remarkable food pricing our distributor provides, offers hundreds of K-12 contracts to meet all your district’s purchasing needs, and they are all available through SSoM.
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e.g., many districts take advantage of rock-bottom copy paper prices through the Premier ODP Program.
We believe communication is key to any successful partnership. That’s why we are dedicated to collaboration with Food Service Directors. The SSoM Purchasing Manager is readily available to answer questions, address concerns, and keep you apprised of vital program information, e.g., how to obtain earned rebates.
