The winds of winter may still be blowing in many parts of the country, but it is already time to start thinking about the summer. 20 million children receive free or reduced-price lunch during the school year through USDA’s National School Lunch Program. For many children, school meals are the only complete and nutritious meals they eat, and in the summer they go without. 22.3 million children are at risk of going hungry when the school year ends and school lunches are no longer available.
We want to make sure that no child in the U.S. goes to bed hungry, whether school is in session or out. We can only do that with the help of faith-based and community organizations. Organizations can get free meals for kids this summer by being a site or sponsor in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). SFSP is a federally funded program administered by states that reimburses organizations for meals served to children during the summer.
On Thursday, March 3, from 12pm to 1pm Eastern Standard Time, USDA’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, in partnership with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, will be hosting a one-hour webinar targeted towards faith-based organizations. Our hope is that congregations and community organizations will join us to learn how this program can help them get free food to feed kids in their communities.
To register for this free webinar online. This session will be available via Microsoft Office LiveMeeting (Webinar). You will need access to a phone line and a computer with internet access for this webinar. Further information will be forthcoming to registered participants. You must register to receive additional information.
If you are interested but unable to attend this session, please register to participate in our General Public Session on Tuesday, March 8, from 6:00pm – 7:00pm EST and Thursday, March 17th from 11am to 12pm EST at online. We will also be holding a second webinar for faith-based organizations on Tuesday, March 29th from 3:00pm to 4:00pm EST.
Additional information on the Summer Food Service Program can be found on the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Website, and more on the webinars under the link for “free webinars”: www.summerfood.usda.gov. If you have further questions, you can contact Emily Buckham Buday at the Food and Nutrition Service at Emily.buckham@fns.usda.gov or the USDA Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at collaborate@usda.gov.
We hope that your organization can join us next week to learn how we can prevent children from going hungry in the summer months.