BOISE, ID – The Child Nutrition Division of the Idaho State Department of Education is seeking sponsors for this year’s Summer Food Service Program. The SFSP provides free meals and snacks to children ages 1-18 by operating sites located in low-income areas during the summer months.
The SDE collaborates with community partners, referred to as “sponsors,” to provide meals to children while school is not in session. Sponsors are reimbursed for each qualifying breakfast, lunch, snack and/or dinner they serve at approved sites.
“Idaho parents shouldn’t have to stress over their children’s meals during the summer, and we at the SDE know that reaching our students and educational communities with the support they need shouldn’t stop when the summer bell rings,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield says. “The department is once again calling for sponsors to help bridge this gap for our students and educational communities.”
In the summer of 2022, Idaho’s 67 SFSP sponsors served close to 900,000 meals and snacks at over 235 sites.
For more information on becoming a Summer Food Service Program sponsor, call (208) 332-6828 or visit https://www.sde.idaho.gov/cnp/sfsp/.
For the 2023 program year, sponsors may be, but are not limited to:
- Public or private nonprofit schools
- Public or private nonprofit residential camps
- Local, municipal, county, tribal or state governments
- Public or private nonprofit colleges or universities that participate in the National Youth Sports Program
- Upward Bound programs
- Religious organizations
- Libraries
- Private nonprofit organizations
All sponsors, new and returning, are required to attend training at a location most convenient to them and must complete the application process. The 2023 training schedule for new sponsors is as follows:
- Lewiston – Tuesday, March 7
- Boise – Friday, March 10
- Pocatello – Tuesday, March 14
Application information will be provided to eligible sponsors and is due to the Department of Education by April 28, 2023. Applications that are not complete and submitted by June 15, 2023 cannot be approved. Department approval is required prior to program operation.
Meals for the Summer Food Service Program must be served in accordance with federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture non-discrimination policy.
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
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/ad-3027.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:
- mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington D.C. 20250-9410; or
- fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
- email:
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
