Summer Food Service Program

The Capacity Builder is a powerful mapping tool for State agencies and sponsors to evaluate previous summer’s performance as well as identify areas where there are gaps in summer meal access. This informational webinar hosted by FNS will teach Sponsors, State agencies, Regional offices, and National office staff how they can build on their existing knowledge of the Capacity Builder. 

Target Audience:

Sponsors, State agencies, Regional offices, and National offices. 

To Participate:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.