[Faith & Hunger] DOes your church / temple want to host Summer Meals Program?

[Dunleamark@aol.com]

Hunger Action Network is looking for churches and temples that would be  
interested in participating in the summer meals program as a site or  sponsor.
 
 
Information about the Summer Food Service Program –  434-7371 
The Summer Food Service Program is designed to provide nutritious meals  to 
low-income children during the summer months while school is out.  
Unfortunately, only about one out of every seven children who participate in the  free or 
reduce price school lunch program use the summer meals programs. We need  both 
more publicity for existing sites in your community and more sponsors for  
sites.  
In some cases, an existing sponsor in your community - such as the local  
school or public housing authority -would be happy to have you as an additional  
site. This is easier because they will take care of the paperwork and dealing  
with the food vendor.  
Most places that serve summer meals are open sites – based on local  poverty 
data - which means that there are no income or residency requirements.  
Families do not have to fill out any forms and children do not have to prove  that 
they are eligible for the meals. Summer meals are distributed at  neighborhood 
sites such as schools or community-based organizations. 
With your help, we can reach more children. Consider  becoming a site or 
sponsor for the SFSP program in order to provide healthy  meals to the children in 
your community. As a site or sponsor, you will receive  reimbursement from 
the federal government for every meal that is served. Federal  reimbursement is 
also provided for operational and administrative costs, such as  rent and 
staff expenditures.   
Any program that provides services to the community and has the resources  to 
run SFSP may become a sponsor or site. Recreational facilities, youth  
centers, faith based communities, non-profits, community centers and government  
agencies have become sponsors or sites.  
You can contact Mark Dunlea at 518 434-7371, xt 1# at the Hunger Action  
Network office if you would like more info.  
Or you can contact the Summer Food Service Program office at the state  
education Department at 518 432-5068. New York State Education Department, Child  
Nutrition Program Administration, Summer FOod Service Program, Room 55/119 EB,  
Albany NY 12234-0055. 
The application deadline is May 12. Their website is 
_www.nysed.gov/cn/cnms.htm_ (http://www.nysed.gov/cn/cnms.htm)  
Thanks 
Mark Dunlea 
Hunger Action Network of NYS 
518 434-7371, xt 1# 
THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT /  THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / 
ALBANY, NY 12234 

Office for Elementary,  Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education
School Operations and  Management
Child Nutrition Program Administration / Summer Food Service  Program
Education Building Room 55/119, Albany, NY 12234-0119
(518)  432-5068 fax (518) 432-5069
_www.nysed.gov/cn/cnms.htm_ (http://www.nysed.gov/cn/cnms.htm)  

February 2006
To:  Potential Summer Food Service Program Sponsors
From: Frances N. O’Donnell,  Coordinator
Subject: Summer Food Service Program Sponsorship 

Thank you for your interest  in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). The 
SFSP is a nonprofit food service  program that was established to ensure that 
low-income children, 18 years of age  and younger, receive nutritious meals 
when schools are not in session. It is the  single largest federal resource 
available for local sponsors that want to  combine a feeding program with a summer 
activity program. 

The United States Department  of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service 
administers the SFSP at the national  level by deciding overall program policy 
and publishing regulations and federal  payment rates. The New York State 
Education Department (NYSED) administers the  program at the state level by 
approving sponsor applications, conducting sponsor  training, monitoring SFSP 
operations, publishing state payment rates, and  processing federal and State program 
payments. 

Sponsors of the SFSP are  public or private nonprofit organizations that are 
capable of managing a food  service program. They must follow regulations and 
be responsible, financially  and administratively, for operating the program. 
Sponsors receive payments based  on the number of meals served that meet 
federal nutritional guidelines at  approved sites or documented costs of operating 
and administering the program.  Sponsors are not able to receive more than 
their actual program costs, and in  some cases, payments to sponsors are less 
than actual costs. Sponsors must be  prepared to manage their food service 
programs carefully and add other resources  to their programs, if necessary, to 
maintain a sound program. 
A site is a physical location,  approved by NYSED, where a sponsor will serve 
free meals to eligible children  during a supervised time period. Meal 
service sites may be located in a variety  of settings, including schools, 
recreation centers, playgrounds, parks,  churches, community centers, day camps, 
residential summer camps, housing  projects, migrant centers, or on Indian 
reservations. Open sites operate in  low-income areas where at least half of the 
children come from families with  incomes at or below 185 percent of the federal 
poverty level, making them  eligible for free and reduced-price school meals. 
Enrolled sites provide free  meals to children enrolled in an activity program at 
the site where at least  half of them are eligible for free and reduced-price 
meals or where the site is  located in a low-income area. Camps receive 
payments only for the meals served  to children who are eligible for free and 
reduced-price meals. Please refer to  the enclosed Summer Food Service Program 
Eligibility Guidance Manual for more  information on site eligibility. 

Most sponsors may be approved  to receive reimbursement for serving two meals 
each day. Sites that primarily  serve migrant children and camps may be 
eligible and approved to serve up to  four reimbursable meals each day. 

A sponsor may prepare its own  meals, purchase meals through an agreement 
with an area school, or contract for  meals with a food service management 
company. Sponsors that prepare meals  themselves, on site or at a central kitchen, 
receive a slightly higher rate of  reimbursement. Government and private 
nonprofit sponsors that lack the kitchen  facilities or capacity to prepare meals 
themselves can arrange to purchase meals  from a school or another public or 
private food supplier with approved meal  preparation facilities. 

New sponsors will be required  to attend one of the sponsor training 
workshops occurring in March 2006. You may  register for training on the enclosed SFSP 
Potential Sponsor Questionnaire. If  you plan on sponsoring a SFSP in Summer 
2006, you will need to evaluate your  capabilities soon, so you will have time 
to plan accordingly. 

We want SFSP sponsors to  operate successfully. To determine if it would be 
feasible for your organization  to become a sponsor, please review the attached 
List of Records that sponsors  must maintain. Work through the Reimbursement 
Worksheet to see if sponsoring the  program would be fiscally possible and 
fill out and return the SFSP Potential  Sponsor Questionnaire so that we are able 
to gain more information about your  organization and your intent to 
participate or not to participate in the SFSP.  Please note that filling out and 
returning the questionnaire does not  necessarily mean that you will be eligible to 
participate in the program. 

The need for good nutrition  is crucial to ensure that children have safe and 
productive summers. We  encourage you to make summer a nutritious and healthy 
experience for the  children in your community.
If you have any questions, please contact the  SFSP office at 518-432-5068.
This institution is an equal opportunity  provider.
THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW  YORK / 
ALBANY, NY 12234
Office for Elementary, Middle, Secondary and  Continuing Education
School Operations and Management
Child Nutrition  Program Administration / Summer Food Service Program
Education Building Room  55/119, Albany, NY 12234-0119
(518) 432-5068 fax (518) 432-5069
_www.nysed.gov/cn/cnms.htm_ (http://www.nysed.gov/cn/cnms.htm) 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.hungeractionnys.org/pipermail/faithhunger_hungeractionnys.org/attachments/20060403/99114e49/attachment.htm