Building a Summer Meals program in your community

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally-funded child nutrition program that provides reimbursement to local organizations that provide free, nutritious meals to low-income children and teens when school meal programs are not available. Washington’s SFSP, also known as the Summer Meals Program, can offer up to two meals per day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and/or snacks.

The Washington Summer Meals Statewide Partnership has developed a Toolkit that can help community-based organizations identify needs, partners, outreach strategies and resources in their communities to start or strengthen summer meal programs for kids. Using the information here, you can learn how your organization can work with others to help end summer hunger in Washington.

You can start now to plan how community partners can work together to feed hungry children in the summer of 2012!

Summer Meals Resource Toolkit for WA Communities

How organizations can support Summer Meals

Nonprofits, schools, public entities (like cities or counties), and tribes can sponsor Summer Meals programs or host a meal site. Organizations don’t have to sponsor a program to help make it successful – working in partnership with your local program and spreading the word about it to your clients, colleagues and neighbors is a great way to ensure a program’s success.

These guides explain how the program works, point you to great local and national resources, and give you ideas about what you can do to help make it great:

Summer Meals Statewide Partnership E-Newsletter

Sign up for the Summer Meals Newsletter on this page. Stay informed about about Summer Meals. Read past Summer Meals E-newsletters.

Getting Organized for Summer Meals 2012

It’s never too early to think about how to build a strong Summer Meals program in your community. Here is a great planning timeline with tips on what to do in the fall, winter, and spring to ensure the summertime is a great success. View the Planning Timeline.

Planning for summer 2012 is easier if you know who to talk to, what happened in previous summers, where the service gaps may be, and where eligible sites could be for next year. Program sponsors may have a single site where meals are served, or they may have multiple sites. Summer meal sites are located in schools, parks, recreation centers, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and camps. Sites may be open all or part of the summer and every day or only some days of the week, depending on your community’s programs.

Summer Meals Site Eligibility and Locations

Eligible sites are in areas where more than half the kids are enrolled in free or reduced-price meals, or where census data indicates that more than half an area’s residents are low-income. Contact Donna Parsons at OSPI for eligibility information.

FRAC Summer Food Mapper
Use the FRAC Summer Food Mapper to locate potential sites that meet the census data requirement.

Summer Meals Fact Sheets by County
The fact sheets show 2011 sponsors, eligible schools, meal sites, days of operation, and participation numbers for each county.

Summer Meals Site Search Tool
The ParentHelp123 Summer Meals search displays 2011 sponsor, site and operation information by location.

Start or Expand a Community Summer Meals Program

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) administers the WA Summer Meals Program. To learn more about Summer Meals in your community or to get information about becoming a sponsor or site, contact OSPI’s Summer Food Service Program staff Donna Parsons or call (360) 725-6210.

Eash spring OSPI offers a mandatory Summer Meals Program workshop to train potential sponsors on Summer Meals program requirements. You can attend the training without obligation to sponsor a program. You must complete the application and attend the workshop to be a sponsor. 

Organizations in Seattle can apply NOW to become a summer meal site. The City of Seattle’s Human Services Deptment serves as the program sponsor and Seattle Public Schools provides the meals – your organization provides the location and the kids!

Complete an application on their website. For more information, contact Javier Pulido (javier.pulido@seattle.gov) or call (206) 386-1140.

Funding Opportunities for 2012 Summer Meal Programs

There are resources to help communities fund Summer Meal programs in Washington:

United Way of King County RFP Grant Application
United Way of King County is offering start-up and expansion grants for Summer Meal programs in King County to fund equipment, staffing and outreach. Apply early. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until June 15th. For more information, contact Lauren McGowan.

School Grants for Healthy Kids in Washington
Schools can apply for a planning grant from Action for Healthy Kids to support new or existing school-based summer meal programs in 2013. Requirements: must be a school; provide at least 2 meals daily during the week; and, offer educational opportunities related to nutrition and physical activity for kids. APPLICATION DEADLINE: SATURDAY, MAY 5.

OSPI Meals for Kids Grant Application - (Closed for 2012)
This grant is intended for start up or expansion of Summer Meals programs; funds can be used for equipment, staff training and travel, or outreach activities in any Washington community.

School's Out Washington Feed Your Brain grants (Closed for 2012)
School’s Out Washington offers Feed Your Brain grants for summer literacy and summer meal programs for kids in rural, high poverty communities.

Contact the Washington Dairy Council for more resources
The Washington Dairy Council offers Summer Meals resources such as milk cooler rebates, hand outs and activities.

Summer Meals Outreach Ideas

Ideas for bringing more families and kids to your sites

Summer Meal Programs are successful only if kids show up at meal time. Here are some outreach ideas and materials from national, state and local organizations to advertise your program effectively and that make parents and kids feel good about coming to your Summer Meals Program all summer long:

To learn more about promoting a Summer Meals program in your community, contact Claire Lane, Food Security Program Manager at WithinReach 206-830-7642.

Children in cafeteria