Many Kentucky families depend on free or reduced-price meals during the school year. When school is out for the summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) helps to ensure that children continue to receive nutritious meals to bridge the nutrition gap during these months.
A brief information session is being offered online for potential new Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors in Kentucky on Nov. 4, 2021, from 12:30 to 1 p.m. EST. A general overview of the program will be provided by Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) SFSP staff, and those who attend will have the opportunity to ask questions about the program.
Many Kentucky families depend on free or reduced-price meals during the school year. When school is out for the summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Kentucky Department of Education’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) help ensure children continue to receive nutritious meals to bridge the nutrition gap during these months.
As this school year draws to a close, I’d like to thank you on behalf of KDE staff and the education profession for your assistance in ensuring Kentucky students continued to learn during the extraordinary circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand the pressures you are facing as you balance caring for children, helping them learn and, in many cases, continuing your own work.
During school building closures due to COVID-19, the Summer Food Service Program and the Seamless Summer Option – which are administered by the Kentucky Department of Education – will provide meals at no cost to children 18 and under. This allows children who may face food insecurity to continue receiving meals while schools are not holding in-person classes.
When school is out for the summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Kentucky Department of Education’s Summer Food Service Program helps ensure that children continue to receive nutritious meals to bridge the nutrition gap during these months.
While participation in the Summer Food Service Program is on the decline nationally, Kentucky’s participation increased in 2018 for the third year in a row, according to a new report from the nonprofit Food Research & Action Center (FRAC).
Kentucky Summer Food Service sponsors, along with many partners across the state, are celebrating the increase in the number of summer meals served to children across Kentucky in 2018.
Sponsors are being sought for the 2018 Summer Food Service Program. School districts and nonprofit organizations – including churches and faith-based organizations and government entities – are encouraged to participate as sponsors in the Summer Food Service Program and are invited to attend training.
Organizations from around the state will meet on Feb. 13 to discuss ways to alleviate child hunger during the summer months. The Summer Meals Summit will be held from 8:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET at the Kentucky Science Center in Louisville.