A program that targets children in low-income areas to provide 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 the First State by the Delaware 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 have continued support from DDOE throughout the course of the 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. 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. 

For information on becoming a SFSP sponsor or site, or to locate a sponsored site in your area, call 302-857-3356 or visit education.delaware.gov/educators/whole-child-support/nutrition/sfsp/.