The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a USDA Child Nutrition program designed to ensure that children have access to meals when they are on summer break. Less than 20 percent of students who qualify for free- or reduced-price meals participate in summer meal programs. This leaves a significant food gap that families must fill, and it increases food insecurity during what should be a carefree time for kids.
Before 2020, summer meals were exclusively served on-site in congregate locations with separate timeframes for students to participate in each meal service. During the COVID pandemic, USDA waivers allowed summer program operators to distribute multiple days’ worth of meals and different meal types for children to eat off-site. This non-congregate meal service model increased participation in areas where traditional summer meals were hard to access. In particular, rural areas experienced a surge in participation due to the decrease in transportation barriers.
Given this success, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which permanently authorized the non-congregate meal service option for summer food sponsors in qualifying rural areas. Over the last three summers, many school districts have added non-congregate meal service options to expand access to summer meals for students.
In the traditional congregate summer food service model, a child needs to attend every meal service every day, even if the site is far from home. While offering the congregate summer program, Chrissy Musser, Food Service Director at Meigs Local School District, served an average of 25 children with summer meals. After adopting the non-congregate model, families can now pick up breakfast and lunch meals for multiple days once per week. Meigs Local now serves an average of 1,600 children per week, distributing a mix of cold and frozen meals and ready-to-eat items that serve as a “literal lifeline to the families” during the summer months. Since the SFSP can serve children ages one and up, families with younger kids can also receive meals, providing additional food support to families.
Kenton City Schools also offers Grab-and-Go summer meals. Director of Food Service Regina Comstock took a slightly different approach by adding non-congregate service to her existing congregate programs. The results were impressive: Participation quadrupled from congregate-only model, with an average of over 500 children served daily last summer.
While the weekly Grab-and-Go meals are a popular non-congregate model, some school districts have found success with home delivery. In this model, meal boxes are delivered directly to student’s homes via school transportation, the U.S. mail, or a package delivery company.
Black River School District was an early adopter of the home delivery model, using an outside vendor to prepare, package, and mail food boxes. In districts with school-year contracts for food service staff, this model reduces most on-site labor needed for meal provision. Black River School District Treasurer Robert Kuehnle was instrumental in establishing home delivery, and he encourages eligible districts to consider this option.
“Meals can be provided for seven days per week during the summer, and fiscally, our summer sponsorship ends in a positive balance,” said Kuehnle. “It essentially costs nothing to ensure our students have food access all summer.”
Existing congregate programs in rural areas can also take advantage of the non-congregate meal option by sending home reimbursable meals not served on-site during regular programming. These “hybrid” food service models that blend congregate and non-congregate food service can provide additional food access to children throughout the summer. Hybrid models can vary based on program operation. For example:
- A summer program that operates Monday through Friday and offers breakfast and lunch can send home two breakfast and two lunch meals with children for Saturday and Sunday.
- A summer site that offers lunch Monday through Friday can send home breakfast for the next morning, as well as breakfast and lunch for Saturday and Sunday.
- A summer site that only operates a few days per week can send breakfast and lunch meals home for the days children do not attend congregate service at the site.
- Additionally, schools offering summer school for a few weeks after the school year ends may switch to a non-congregate model for the remainder of the summer to extend food access until school resumes.
For school districts considering a non-congregate model, planning is essential. Musser suggests writing down each detail of program operation, having back-up plans, and being flexible.
Jessica Michel, Child Nutrition Supervisor of Fremont City Schools, also encourages districts to remember that “each summer is a learning experience for the following year. Allow yourself and your team some grace!”
Through the options available in the rural non-congregate model, schools can ensure consistent access to meals for students and their families throughout the summer months.
“Each summer, all summer, the parents and guardians express their gratitude for this program,” said Michel.