USDA Food and Nutrition ServiceSummer Food Service Program

Summer Meal Program Basics

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)• Reimbursements for operating and administrative funds provided

by Federal Government• State agencies administer the program in each State• Low-income children and teens 18 years old and younger receive

free, nutritious meals• Organizations, schools, local government agencies, etc., serve the

free, nutritious meals at safe and convenient sites in communities• Operates when school is not in session

Benefits to Families & Communities

• Provides children with the food they need when they are out of school to keep learning, playing, and growing

• Helps families with tight food budgets in the summer• Many summer meal sites also provide activities to keep kids

mentally and physically active• Brings Federal funds into local communities

Main Players

• Federal Government• State agencies• Sponsors• Sites• Advocates• Volunteers• Families

What Is a “Sponsor”?

• Sponsors can be schools, non-profits, faith-based organizations, government entities, etc.

• Really any organization that can manage the financial, administrative, and food service responsibilities of providing summer meals

What Is a “Site”?

The actual place where meals are served and kids eat

What Does a “Site” Do?

• Trained by sponsor• Run by staff or volunteers• Orders and receives meals from sponsor• Makes sure kids eat meals at site and are safe• Does not discriminate against any child• Prepares complete and accurate records of meal deliveries and number of

meals served so sponsor can be reimbursed

Although not required, many sites also plan fun activities for children

For a Meal to be Reimbursable it Must Contain:*

Breakfast Lunch or Supper Snack

- One serving of milk;- One serving of a vegetable or fruit or a full-strength juice; and- One serving of grain or bread.- A meat or meat alternate is optional.

- One serving of milk;- Two or more servings of vegetables and/or fruits;- One serving of grain or bread; and- One serving of meat or meat alternate.

- Must contain two food items from different components. However, juice cannot be served when milk is served as the only other component.

Meal Pattern Requirements

Why are we reaching only 1 out of 6 eligible kids with summer meals?

• Families don’t know about the program• Families don’t know where the sites

serving summer meals are • Lack of transportation to summer meals

sites• Lack of sponsors• Lack of sites• Lack of volunteers to help sites

Can summer programs get connected with potential sponsors?

• Contact the State agency in your State that administers the Summer Food Service Program. They will tell you what organization in your community sponsors the program, and will facilitate the connection. www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm

• Site Programming matters!

Check out: www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cnd/SMT-siteProgramming.pdf

How can I find promotional outreach materials and templates?

• Contact your State agency to see what outreach plan they have for the year and what resources they can make available to you, for free!

• USDA just launched the web-based Summer Meals Toolkit – with outreach resources at every level of program operations.

Check it out! http://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-meals-toolkit

www.summerfood.usda.govProgram Handbooks o Administrative Guidance for Sponsors o Monitor’s Guide o Nutrition Guidance for Sponsors o Site Supervisor’s Guide – English/Spanish www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/library/handbooks.html

The FNS website features a toolkit that has best practices and information for all aspects of the program: www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-meals-toolkit

• Where do we go from here?