The Children in Your Community Need Your Help
The USDA provides free or reduced price lunches to 21 million children during the school year through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). However, during summer break only 3.5 million of those students participate in the summer feeding program. The program helps fill the summer food gap for low-income children by reimbursing organizations that serve children meals at feeding sites during summer months. Schools, churches, recreation centers, playgrounds, parks, clinics, and camps can provide summer meals in neighborhoods with high percentages of low income families, making a positive impact on the lives of hungry children.
A critical component to the effort is promoting access to and participation in Summer Meals. Our goal is to reach all children in need and
for Summer 2013 we are working with partners to increase in service by 5
million additional meals and to achieve a 10% growth in targeted states
of Arkansas, California, Colorado, Rhode Island and Virginia. We’d like
to increase participation in Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas, but
every State is important to ensure children are provided nutritious
meals throughout the Summer months.
We’re asking your help in:
- Sponsoring or operating a Summer Meal site
Additional SFSP Resources To Get You Started
The Summer Food Service Program website is located at
http://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-food-service-program-sfsp. The Summer Food Service Program links below offer an expanded view, highlight the importance of the program, provide administrative guidance, connect to SFSP informational webcasts, offer suggestions in overcoming challenges, and provide contacts for further work with FNS Regional and State offices.
SFSP Toolkit: These handbooks offers tips and strategies to help sponsors and sites raise awareness of their programs among families in need. The toolkit in English is on the web at
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Summer/library/SFSP_toolkit.pdf; a Spanish-language version is at:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Summer/library/sp-SFSP_toolkit.pdf.
FNS Regional Office Contacts: This link provides contact information for FNS regional leadership, in case you would like to raise issues specific to certain States:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns-regional-offices. The Special Nutrition Programs (SNP) Director has lead responsibility for summer feeding, but you should also feel free to contact the Regional Administrator directly.
State Agency Contacts: Contact information for the agencies responsible for summer feeding programs in each State are available at http://www.fns.usda.gov/office-type/child-nutrition-programs. (Click on State to find contact information; check the “Office Website” column to the far right to confirm that it is the office that operates SFSP.)
SFSP “Food, Fun and Sun” Promising Practices: This link –
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/contest/default.htm -- highlights, in stories and photos, examples of innovative and highly successful summer feeding programs.
SFSP Webcasts: FNS series of SFSP informational webinars covered a wide range of topics, from faith-based organizations supporting SFSP, to eliminating transportation barriers in SFSP. Recordings are available here:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/outreach/webinars/summer.htm
SFSP Handbooks: The links below will increase success in supporting SFSP for those engaging media, being a sponsor, or hosting a feeding site:
SFSP "Tips for Success - Rural Programs" Fact Sheet: The Fact Sheet provides tips for entities in rural areas thinking about becoming providing summer food on how to overcome transportation problems associated with rural programs. It is on the web at:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Summer/library/SFSP_Rural_Programs_Tips.pdf
