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Georgia Gems Fall/Winter 2020

GSNA Industry Advisory Board Chair

I am honored and thankful to have been given the opportunity to serve as your 2020-21
GSNA Industry Advisory Board Chair.

I look forward to working with the GSNA Executive Team, the Industry Advisory Board
and the GSNA Members to help find ways to grow and expand the overall Association,
to inspire, motivate and empower one another so we can reach our full potential and
most importantly, to find innovative industry solutions that are needed in order to feed
our children each and every day.

I believe that at one time or another, each of us have heard someone say, “the only constant in life is change” …or…
“change is inevitable”. Well, if change is inevitable, then we must be willing to embrace change in our daily lives in
order to move forward and grow both personally and professionally.

As I look back on 2020, it has been a year full of “change” which has undoubtedly impacted not only our personal
lives, but our day to day professional lives as well. When the Coronavirus pandemic surfaced earlier this year, the K-
12 Industry had to immediately shift, mobilize, and create a multi-pronged serving model that most of us would not
have even imagined possible.

Well…YOU DID IT! Without hesitation you and your peers rolled up your sleeves and immediately collaborated with
your local school board administrators, Principals, PTA Groups, Bus Drivers, Distributor partners, Volunteer
organizations, and numerous additional support service groups to build an infrastructure that was necessary in order
to feed our children and the communities that we serve.
How was this possible? ANSWER: You put your “TRUST” in one another and as Author Tony Bridwell suggests…you
“SHOWED UP”, “SPOKE UP”, and “SYNCH’D UP”. These (3) actions were critical to the overall success of your plans,
as well as, the ability to successfully meet and/or exceed the nutritional needs of the children that you were feeding
throughout the pandemic.

It begins with “SHOWING UP”! I cannot begin to express how proud I am of how each of you “SHOWED UP” every
day throughout the pandemic to serve and feed those in need across the State of GA.
“SPEAKING UP”! Your personal involvement resulted in the USDA authorizing numerous COVID 19 Waivers that were
necessary in order to provide meals to “at risk” children and families in need. Thank you for leading by example and
“SPEAKING UP” on the behalf of the communities that you serve!

Finally, you “SYNCHED UP” with your industry partners and executed your plans flawlessly. You were able to quickly
evaluate and understand the task at hand which allowed you to “SYNCH UP” and collaborate with others within your
community. The ability to “SYNCH UP” and rely on one another was critical to the successful development,
implementation, and execution of your plans.

In closing, I would like to take this time to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude for the unselfish acts of
kindness that you and your teams have provided throughout this pandemic. You should feel a great sense of pride in
what you and your teams were able to accomplish in such a short period of time. Your unselfish act of service is
evident in the smiling faces of our children and for that I would like to say, “THANK YOU”! I cannot wait to see what
YOU and your teams are able to accomplish in 2021!

Sincerely,
Joel H. Teachworth, Jr.
GSNA Industry Advisory Board Chair
Kellogg’s Away From Home, Education Specialist
Joel.teachworth@kellogg.com