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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides funding for organizations to serve meals to low-income children through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). The SFSP not only provides nutritional benefits to children when school is not in session, but also provides summer jobs and brings federal dollars into communities.
The SFSP was established by Congress in 1968, but the program is severely underutilized. In 1995, less than 16% of children who received free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program also received meals in the SFSP. Many communities and organizations do not offer the program either because they are not aware that this resource is available, or because they believe the program is too costly to run. The USDA provides reimbursement for the operating and administrative costs of running the program; however, some sponsors find it difficult to run the program with only federal reimbursements. This guide suggests cost-effective ways to run the program and access additional resources from within the community. Community sponsors of the SFSP are urgently needed because children need good nutrition during the entire year, not just the school months. This guide can be used both by those who are currently involved with the SFSP, or those who would like to get involved with the program. It should be particularly helpful for smaller, non-profit organizations that may have more difficulty making ends meet. This report is not a comprehensive guide to the SFSP, but rather a resource on ways to keep costs low while at the same time providing nutritious meals and enriching activities for children during the summer months.
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