Summer Food Service Program
The Summer Food Service Program funds primarily lunches and breakfasts and, in some cases, suppers or snacks for children in needy areas when school is not in session during the summer. In Rhode Island, the program provides an average of over 300,000 meals during the summer.
These meals are provided to children at no cost.
Sponsorship is limited to public or private nonprofit school food authorities, state or local governments, public or private nonprofit colleges or universities that are operating the National Youth Sports Program, public or private nonprofit residential summer camps, and private nonprofit organizations that operate special summer programs.
More information may be found at the US Department of Agriculture
Here you’ll find any upcoming trainings, videos available for viewing, and links to helpful training resources.
Recorded Webinars:
- Civil Rights Requirements for SFSP Administrators- recorded webinar
RIDE Training PowerPoints & Flyers:
- Procurement in the SFSP: An overview of SFSP procurement requirements
- SFSP Agreement Steps: Steps for completing on-line agreement
- Procedures for Adding a New SFSP Site
USDA Training Materials:
- USDA Training Materials: For SFSP Sponsors and their staff
- USDA Summer Food, Summer Moves website provides fun handouts for children about eating healthy and staying active in the summer
Welcome to the Summer Food Services Program Regulations & Guidance section. The purpose of this section is to clarify the rules and regulations in the administration of this Program.
For the most current policy memos and updates, please visit USDA's School Meals Program Policy page at:
USDA Nutrition Programs are designed to improve the health and well-being of children and adults. For more information on the SFSP meal patterns and nutrition requirements, visit the USDA web page found here:
Summer Food Service Program Meal Patterns and Nutrition Requirements
Welcome to the Summer Food Services Program (SFSP) Documents, Resources and Helpful Links. This section includes RIDE issued documents, and additional resource, document and links from a variety of sources related to this USDA Program.
USDA’s summer meal programs, including the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option, rely on innovative and collaborative efforts to reach children in need. The Summer Meals Toolkit is designed for individuals and organizations interested in serving as Summer Meal champions in their communities at any level of program administration.
Agreement Materials
- SFSP Sponsor Checklist
- SFSP Administrative & Operational Budget
- Letter Template - Department of Health
- SFSP Appeals Procedures
- Add A Site Form
Procurement Documents
- General Procurement Guidance
- Procurement Plan Template
- Prototype Agreement - Contracting with a School District
- Prototype Agreement - Contract with a Vendor (for contracts less than $250,000 in value)
- SFSP Vended Meals Renewal
Monitoring
Civil Rights
Meal Counting & Claiming
- Accurate Meal Counting in SFSP
- Daily Meal Count Template
- Daily Meal Count Instructions
- Sample Meal Delivery Ticket
Meal Pattern & Service Requirements
- Nutrition Guidance for SFSP Sponsors
- SFSP Meal Pattern Requirements
- SFSP 5-Day Menu Template
- Offer vs. Serve (OVS) in SFSP
- Turnip the Beet! High Quality Summer Meals Award Program
Communication & Outreach
- Summer Meals Kickoff Flyer
- Share Your Success Stories
- Summer Meals Outreach Flyer (English & Spanish)
- Summer Meals Outreach Flyer (Arabic)
- Summer Meals Outreach Flyer (Creole)
- Summer Meals Outreach Flyer (Portuguese)
- Summer Meals Outreach Flyer (Swahili)
General Program Oversight
The Reimbursement and Claims section provides information on USDA reimbursement rates, and RIDE's CNP Connect secure claims processing and management system.
Below is a reference to an online tool for the USDA Summer Meals Site Finder that will allow you to search for sites offering free summer meals in your area. Check back, as this database updates frequently!
RIDE also partners with the United Way 211 to maintain a list of current summer meals sites. Simply dial "211" from your phone to speak with a representative, or visit the 211 website for more information.
This section provides local and national data on the Summer Food Services Program, and information about fiscal aspects of the Program.
Please check back soon as we update this information!