Summer Food Service Program
Summer Meals Turnip the Beet Awards
When thinking of summer meal programs, what comes to mind? Hot lunches and fresh produce bars? Themed menus made with fresh, local foods? Taste tests and cooking lessons? Summer meal sponsors nationwide are working hard to make sure these practices are the new norms, and the positive movement is spreading.
To recognize these outstanding sponsors—sponsors who are dedicated to offering high quality summer meals –USDA created an award affectionately known as Turnip the Beet.
Summer Meals Food Safety Kit
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) has provided the New York State Education Department with Summer Meals Food Safety Kits. Each kit contains a training guide, safety tips, temperature stickers and a thermometer (shown below).
These kits are intended for use at non-school summer food service program sites, such as churches, community centers, or parks. ICN requires a name and email contact for each site that receives a kit. ICN will use this information to contact the site for feedback in the effort to promote the continuous improvement of the kit.
Guidance on Procurement Methods: Thresholds UPDATED
The purpose of this memo is to clarify the different types of procurement requirements school food authorities (SFAs) and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors MUST follow when using funds from the non- profit foodservice account to purchase goods and services for the federal Child Nutrition Programs. Thresholds discussed in this guidance are current as of August 2018 and are subject to change.
2017 Summer Food Service Program Federal Reimbursement Rates
Meal Type | Site Type | Rate | Increase from 2016 |
---|---|---|---|
Breakfast |
Rural and/or Self Prep Other* |
$2.1875 $2.1450 |
$0.055 $0.0525 |
Lunch/Supper |
Rural and/or Self Prep Other* |
$3.8325 $3.7700 |
2017 Area Eligible List to Qualify Open and Closed Enrolled Sites in a Needy Area
In the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), sponsors operating sites located in and drawing their attendance from needy areas can qualify to receive SFSP reimbursement for up to two meals served to children at the sites daily. These sites can operate as open, restricted open, or as closed enrolled sites located in a needy area. School data can be used to establish area eligibility for these types of sites.
2017 Summer Food Service Program Sponsors to be Reviewed
The New York State Education Department (SED) review process is required by Part 7 CFR, Section 225 of the Federal regulations for sponsors administering the SFSP. The objective of the review process is to ensure program compliance through the evaluation of the sponsor’s program operations by observing site operations and conducting a fiscal audit of the SFSP administration. SED reviews all SFSP sponsors a minimum of once every three years.
Sample Parent Letter
Attachment 50
Sample Parent Letter
INSERT YOUR AGENCY LETTERHEAD
2016 Summer Meals Sunshine Awards
Do you have a SFSP success story that could benefit others, are you doing something special? If so, we strongly encourage you to share your experience with us. The North East Regional Office is looking for summer meals sunshine award nominations.
This award is an excellent way to recognize extraordinary accomplishments in the SFSP and to share creative ideas with other sponsoring organizations. Being selected as a winner brings a sense of pride and validation to your program and your community.
Federal Small Purchase Threshold Adjustment
This memorandum provides updated guidance regarding the Federal Small Purchase Threshold, as it relates to all Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) program procurements under Federal grants. The new threshold is confirmed as $150,000; replacing the previous threshold of $100,000. The change was made through statutorily required administrative action.
Determining Area Eligibility Based on School Data
This memorandum provides guidance on using school data when determining area eligibility for the purpose of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in instances where school attendance areas may not accurately reflect the population of the school for which eligibility data is being used.