Summer Food Service Program

As a component of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina's mission "to harness and supply resources so that no one goes hungry in central and eastern North Carolina", we seek to provide information to our member agencies on programs and services that may be beneficial to not only your agency but most importantly to the clients you serve. One such resource is the Summer Food Service Program. Although summer may seem a long way off, it is never too early to start thinking about what will happen to children once school is out and they no longer have access to the nutritious breakfast and lunch served during the school year. The Summer Food Service Program was created to ensure that children in low-income areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations.

North Carolina is one of 26 states included in the new program, Simplified Summer Food Program, which makes it easer for schools, local government agencies and private non-profit organizations to feed children during the summer by eliminating accounting requirements and it ensures that all sponsors receive the maximum federal reimbursement. The program provides reimbursement for meals served to children at sites throughout the community, such as schools, summer programs, parks, swimming pools, churches, apartment complexes and anywhere children congregate. Most sites can serve up to two meals per day, and camps and sites serving predominately migrant children are eligible to provide up to three meals per day.

To qualify for the program, a site must be located in a low-income area, where 50 percent or more of the children in the area are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals or must serve primarily low-income children, (i.e. at least half the children enrolled in the program must be eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.)

Community and faith-based organizations, schools, government agencies and other types of organizations can participate in the SFSP in two primary ways: becoming a sponsor or running a site. If your organization already provides services to the community and has capable staff and good management practices to run a food service, you can administer SFSP. As a sponsor, you will:

Agencies interested in sponsoring the Program would need to complete the attached registration form and return it at least TEN days before the scheduled training dates. Registration for the training is on a first come, first serve basis and will be confirmed. The objectives for the training are that each potential sponsor will be able to 1) understand the Simplified Summer Food Program; 2) efficiently and effectively operate the SFSP; 3) accurately complete the application process according to SFSP regulations; and 4) utilize the NC CARES systems for the application and claims process.

Some organizations do not have the financial or administrative ability to run the program as a sponsor, but they can supervise a food service for children, along with recreational or enrichment activities, at a site. If you supervise a site, you will:

If your agency is interested in serving as a site and need information on current, local sponsors of the program, please contact

Benefits of participating in the program, whether as a sponsor or a site, include drawing children into supervised activities that are safe, fun and filled with learning opportunities; children benefit nutritionally by receiving complete, wholesome meals; and parents benefit from some help in stretching their food dollars.

Links of Interest: