Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
During the school year, more than 40% of K-12 kids in Minnesota are eligible for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. However, when the school year ends for the summer, these children may not have access to the nutritious meals they need. The Summer Food Service Program provides free meals to children 18 and under to fill this gap.
Becoming a sponsor of the Summer Food Service Program allows you to make a difference in your community by providing free meals to youth, with the option of additionally offering activities and entertainment.
Best Practices & Tips for Sponsors
In an effort to support sponsors, Second Harvest Heartland has compiled a list of resources to facilitate a SFSP sponsorship. Click here to find information on SFSP, creative ways in which previous sponsors have used grant funding, and links to further information on best practices.
2018 SFSP Sponsor Grants
Second Harvest Heartland and Share Our Strength are thrilled to be offering another year of grant funding to SFSP sponsors to support Summer Meals expansion. This year’s grant application closed on April 16. Applicants can expect to hear decisions in early May, and funding will be disbursed mid-May. Final reporting for grantees will be due September 30, 2018. Any questions, please contact grant staff at kidseatfree@2harvest.org.
Please check back next spring for 2019 grant opportunities.
Grant Timeline
| March 1st | Grant RFP opens |
| April 16th | Grant RFP deadline – due by 5pm! |
| Early May | Grantees notified |
| Mid May | Funds disbursed |
| September 30th | Final reporting due to No Kid Hungry |
Outreach handouts
Second Harvest Heartland has outreach materials available for distribution in to help increase the participation at meal sites in your community. Outreach materials do not have year specific information and can be distributed multiple summers. To request or see outreach materials available, click on the link below.
Outreach poster
Second Harvest Heartland has an 11″x17″ poster available for download. (Note: Download the pdf file to the computer and print poster from file source in order to print in the correct size and dimensions.)
Summer Food Service Program Meal Finder App
Hunger Impact Partners has created a Summer Food Service Program Meal Finder App called “Summer Eats Minnesota.” Click here to learn more about registering your sites on the Summer Eats Minnesota App.
SFSP Contact Information
Minnesota
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Contact Camille Jones, SFSP Coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Education at 651-582-8526 or MN toll-free 800-366-8922 or email at mde.fns@state.mn.us.
Wisconsin
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Contact Amy Kolano, SFSP Coordinator with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction at 608.266.7124.