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:

RIDE Training PowerPoints & Flyers:

USDA Training Materials: 

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Procurement Documents

Monitoring

Civil Rights

Meal Counting & Claiming

Meal Pattern & Service Requirements

Communication & Outreach

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!

Summer Meals Site Finder

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!