Read the three ways to participate and then use the menu options above to select the option appropriate for you!
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) was created to ensure that children in low-income areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations, when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast.
The program reimburses organizations who serve approved meals to qualifying children. All meals are served free to eligible children.
1. Promote Summer Meals in your Community
- Use TDA resources to increase awareness of the Summer Meals Program in your community. TDA offers a variety of downloadable outreach materials, including social media images, web banners, posters and more at SummerFood.org/OutreachTools.
- Contact TDA: (877) 839-6325. (There is a fast busy signal when calling.)
2. Host a Summer Meal Site
- Community organizations partner with a Contracting Entity (CE) to serve meals in a group setting at schools, parks, community centers, health clinics, hospitals, apartment complexes, churches or migrant centers.
- The CE provides the meals to the site and ensures all financial and administrative responsibilities are met. Site supervisors receive training from the CE. The CE may require the site to sign an agreement that outlines the site’s responsibilities.
3. Become a Summer Meals Contracting Entity (CE)
- A CE contracts directly with TDA to operate one or more approved meal sites. CEs, who are also called sponsors, exercise administrative oversight for meal sites and must conduct a nonprofit food service. An organization is eligible to apply to be a CE if it is a governmental entity, a public or private nonprofit school, a public or private nonprofit residential camp, or a private nonprofit organization.
- Recommendation for prospective CEs: TDA recommends organizations operate as a meal site under an experienced CE for at least a year before applying to become a CE. This has been shown to provide a foundation for long-term success as a program operator.