Each summer, children wait for the last bell of the school year. Summer is an exciting time for children to enjoy playtime with friends, a week at camp, a family vacation, or time at the pool. But for many children who receive free and reduced-price meals at school, summer can mean hunger. Just as learning does not end when school lets out, neither does a child's need for good nutrition. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides free, nutritious meals and snacks to help children in low-income areas get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow, throughout the summer months when they are out of school.
There are many ways you as an individual or your organization can help feed kids. Whether you’re new or a returning sponsor or site, check out these opportunities and new resources like the Summer Outreach Toolkit in English and Spanish! Let’s work together to make this summer the best yet!
Free Webinar
Tomorrow, Thursday, March 17 at 11 a.m., EST.
Sign up and get the log-in info here.
You can also find resources, including “A Guide to Starting the Summer Food Service Program” and additional handbooks for sponsors and sites online.
Individuals can help too! To help boost attendance at your local feeding site, you can volunteer to help with outreach or help plan activities for the kids. Both of these tasks require volunteers—lots of them! You can find sponsors and feeding sites by calling your State agency, 2-1-1, or the National Hunger Hotline (1-866-3-HUNGRY).
The key to success is letting families know where children can get meals. This makes outreach critical. Sponsors and sites can recruit volunteers to help with outreach and use the Summer Food Outreach Toolkit, which is available here—both in English and Spanish! The toolkit gives tips for reaching out to families, media, schools, and other community organizations for partnership. It contains templates for letters, press releases, and flyers—and much more!