A program that targets children in low-income areas to ensure they have access to meals during the summer is seeking sponsors and meal sites.   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 eligible meals served at approved meal sites in eligible areas to children 18 years and under at no cost.

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 receive continued support from DDOE throughout the course of the program. Sponsors of camps, closed sites, and conditional non-congregate sites must notify participants of the availability of free meals and inform them if an income eligibility form is required.

Eligibility for SFSP is based on free and reduced-price lunch school or census data 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-price 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, 2025 – June 30, 2026

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: Summer Food Service Program Website.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the State or local Agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

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