A program that targets children in low-income areas to ensure they have meals during the summer is seeking sponsors and meal sites for meal locations.   The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally funded program operated nationally by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered in Delaware by the Department of Education (DDOE).  Sponsors are reimbursed for all meals served free at approved meal sites in low-income areas to children 18 years and under.

Who Can Participate?

• Sponsors – Units of local government, camps, schools, and private nonprofit organizations are eligible to operate SFSP as sponsors.
• Meal sites – Individual sites, such as camps, housing complexes, community centers, parks and homes are eligible to operate a SFSP as a site under a sponsor.   The sponsor would prepare and deliver the meals to the site (some locations may be served by a food truck, depending on availability).   An adult at the site is required to be the site supervisor to oversee the meals being served.
• Children – Children 18 and under may receive free meals and snacks through the SFSP. Meals and snacks also are available to persons with disabilities, over age 18, who participate in school programs.

Sponsors and sites will receive training to help them operate a successful program and will have continued support from the Delaware Department of Education throughout the course of the program.  All sponsors and sites must agree to serve meals to all children regardless of their race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), age, or disability.

Eligibility for SFSP is based on free and reduced lunch data for a school for a particular area. To qualify as an open site that can feed all children, the site must be in an area where 50 percent or more of the children qualify for free or reduced lunch.  In addition, camps and enrolled programs may qualify based on individual income eligibility. The current income eligibility guidelines are as follows:

FOR USE BY SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM

INCOME ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES FOR REDUCED PRICE MEALS

Effective Date July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024

Conversion Factors: Conversion is required if there are multiple income sources with more than one frequency (Example: a ‘monthly’ Social Security check and a ‘weekly’ wage stub), the participating agency must annualize all income by multiplying: Weekly income by 52; Bi-weekly income (received every two weeks) by 26; Semi-monthly income (received twice a month) by 24; Monthly income by 12.

For information on becoming a SFSP sponsor or site, or to locate a sponsored site in your area, call (302) 857-3356 or visit: http://www.doe.k12.de.us and search “Summer Food Service Program.”

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail:
   U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax:
   (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email:
   program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

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