Welcome to our website for Summer Meals for Kids in Virginia. This site is directed primarily at organizations interested in knowing
more about Summer Meals for Kids in Virginia and, hopefully, becoming
involved. The website will be constantly evolving as we implement new
ideas and feature we have planned. So, check back with us once in a while
to see what’s new!
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Summer Meals For Kids
Officially, it’s the Summer Food Service Program for Children
(SFSP). But we call it Summer Meals for Kids here in Virginia. The
SFSP was established in 1975 to ensure that children receive the
same high quality meals during school vacations that they get in
school cafeterias during the school year.
The SFSP is a federally funded program operated nationally by the
USDA and administered in Virginia
by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office of USDA. Organizations with
summer programs for kids sponsor the program and USDA reimburses
them for all meals served free at approved feeding sites in
low-income areas to children 18 years and under.
Statewide, there is great need for the SFSP, particularly in
those areas of the Commonwealth with many children eligible for free
or reduced price School meals. Historically the program has served
only about 18.5 percent of these children in Virginia. |
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How Can You Participate In Summer Meals for Kids?
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Become a sponsor
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Run a feeding site
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Be a meal vendor
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Volunteer to help a sponsor or site
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Tell others about Summer Meals for Kids
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Who Can Sponsor Summer Meals for Kids?
Summer Meals for Kids is operated on the local level by a sponsoring
organization or agency that has been approved by USDA. Sponsorship is open to:
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schools;
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government agencies;
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summer camps;
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private nonprofit organizations (e.g. Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, Community Action Agencies). Private non-profit organizations must
have IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit status in order to qualify as a sponsor. Churches, however, are exempt from obtaining documentation of Federal Tax exempt status. |
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What Is A Feeding Site?
Sponsors operate one or more sites at which meals are served.
Sponsors can provide free meals at a central site such as a school,
a park, a playground or a community center. Schools that are
offering summer courses can open their meal service to the entire
community by participating in Summer Meals for Kids. Sponsors apply to operate
Summer Meals for Kids at specific sites as part of the overall application for
participation in the Program. USDA approves sites that a sponsor may
operate.
All meals are served free at sites that are operated or
sponsored by a local organization and that are approved by the USDA.
In order for a site to be approved, at least 50 percent of the
children in the area it serves, or 50 percent of its enrolled
children, must be eligible for free or reduced price School Lunch
meals.
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Most sites may serve up to two meals daily, usually a
lunch and a breakfast.
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Camps can serve up to three meals daily, as can sites
that serve primarily migrant children.
For agencies and organizations that are considering participating in Summer Meals for Kids, the Guide to
Starting the Summer Food Service Program provides basic
information that will help a potential sponsor determine if the Program will work for them. |
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How Do Sponsors Provide A Meal Service?
Sponsors may choose to prepare the meals they serve under the
program, contract with a school, or obtain them from a commercial
meal vendor. |
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What Kind of Financial Assistance Is Available?
Funding for Summer Meals for Kids is based on the number of meals served to children. It is not a
grant. That is, sponsors are not "awarded" a certain amount of money
for operating the program. Instead, sponsors are reimbursed on a per
meal basiss. Reimbursement is
made after the sponsor files a Claim for Reimbursement form for
meals that were served in the preceding calendar month. Sponsors are
reimbursed based on "meals times rates."
Additional information about financial management for all
sponsors is available in the
Administrative
Guide for Sponsors.
Camp sponsors can find more information in the
Guide
for Camp Sponsors.
Operating Rates
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All Sponsors
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Breakfast |
$1.57 |
Lunch/Supper |
$2.75 |
Snack |
$0.64 |
Administrative Rates
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Rural or Self-Prep
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Other
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breakfast |
$0.1575 |
$0.1225 |
lunch/supper |
$0.2875 |
$0.2375 |
snack |
$0.0775 |
$0.0625 |
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What Is Site Eligibility?
Meal sites are designated as open, closed
enrolled, or camp sites. Open sites serve children
in geographical areas where 50 percent or more of the local children
are eligible for free or reduced price school meals. This percentage
must be documented by data provided by appropriate sources. Examples
are school (National School Lunch Program) data, certain census
data, or geographic areas of eligibility, such as the area served by
a community or neighborhood school that has 50 percent or more of
its enrolled children eligible for free or reduced price meals.
Documentation of site eligibility is required prior to site approval
by USDA.
Closed enrolled sites serve identified groups of children.
In most cases a closed enrolled site is closed to the community at
large and serves only children enrolled in specific activities or
only those enrolled for the food program. When 50 percent or more of
the children enrolled in the activities (or food program) are
eligible for free or reduced price school meals, all the children
who are enrolled are eligible to receive meals at no charge,
regardless of their individual eligibility. The percentage of
enrolled children who are eligible must be documented by data
provided by appropriate sources, such as individual eligibility
forms submitted by families of enrolled children or school data.
Documentation of site eligibility is required prior to site approval
by USDA.
Eligibility of closed
enrolled sites can now be based on “area” data (e.g.,
free-and-reduced-price meal data) for the location of the site,
rather than on documentation that at least half the enrolled
children are eligible for free and reduced price meals.
Therefore, any site located in an area in which at least 50
percent of the children are from households eligible that would be
eligible for free or reduced price school meals will be eligible for
reimbursement for all meals served to children, regardless of
whether the site serves an identified group of children or is open
to the community.
If the percentage of free and reduced price eligible falls below
the 50 percent mark, then the site can be designated a day
camp site as long as there are organized activities before or
after the meal service. Sponsors are reimbursed only for those meals
served to eligible children. Documentation of individual eligibility
from appropriate sources, such as school data or individual
eligibility forms submitted by families of children enrolled to
participate at the site is required prior to site approval by
USDA.
Residential camps are reimbursed only for those meals served
to eligible children; although camps may be reimbursed for up to
three meals a day per eligible child. Documentation of individual
eligibility from appropriate sources, such as individual eligibility
forms submitted by families of children enrolled to participate at
the site or school data is required prior to site approval by
USDA. |
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How Do Organizations Apply For
Sponsorship?
Sponsors who have participated in Summer Meals for Kids in the previous year
automatically are sent a preprinted, renewal application.
Potential new sponsors must complete an application packet in order
to be approved to participate in Summer Meals for Kids. The packet includes several forms that must be
completed as well as an instruction booklet,
Guide
for Preparation of the Application for Sponsorship. |
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What Are A Sponsor's
Responsibilities?
There are a number of requirements and responsibilities involved
in sponsoring Summer Meals for Kids.
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Sponsors cannot delegate management responsibilities.
The sponsor is responsible for the quality of meal service,
the conduct of site personnel, and the adequacy of
recordkeeping.
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Prior to the beginning date of the Program, sponsors must visit all new sites and sites
that experienced problems in prior years to be sure these sites
will meet the needs of the size and composition of the audience to
be served. These visits must be documented.
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Prior to the beginning date of the meal service, sponsors must train all sponsor and site personnel who
will be involved with the Program. This
training must be documented.
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Program operations must be monitored throughout the
operation of the Program. This includes a
minimum of two documented visits to each site. These visits
must be documented.
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Sponsors must inform potential beneficiaries of Summer Meals for Kids of its
availability and make no discrimination against any child
in the operation of the program.
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Claims for Reimbursement must be submitted within 30
days of the end of the month for which you are claiming
reimbursement.
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Full and accurate records of Program operations must be kept on file for a minimum of three
years plus the current fiscal year. Upon request, the sponsors
must make those records available to the USDA for audit or
administrative review.
Additional information about sponsor responsibilities for all
sponsors is available in the
Administrative
Guide for Sponsors and Guide
for Camp Sponsors. |
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What Are The Responsibilities Of A Site
Supervisor?
There must be a person in charge at each site where the meals are
served. Some of the responsibilities include taking the meal
count each day, assuring that children are served the
required meal components, ordering meals for the next
day, and dealing with issues that may arise at the site. Additional
information about site supervisor responsibilities for all sponsors
is available in the
Site
Supervisor's Guide. |
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What Meals Can Be Served?
There are four types of meals in Summer Meals for Kids:
breakfast, lunch, supper, and snack (or
supplement). Different types of sites can be approved for
different numbers and types of meals for reimbursement.
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Open and closed enrolled sites can
be approved for two meals per day for reimbursement. It can
be any combination of meals -- except lunch and supper.
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Residential/nonresidential camps can be
reimbursed for a maximum of three meals per day for
reimbursement, as can sites that serve primarily migrant
children.
Each meal type must meet meal pattern requirements in
order for the sponsor to be reimbursed.
Sponsoring organizations can prepare and serve food at their own
facilities as well as satellite the food to other sites operated by
the sponsor. If self-preparation is not feasible, then the sponsor
may contract with an outside organization to prepare, serve, and
deliver the meals. If a sponsor chooses to contract for meals from
an outside source, there must be a contract or agreement with that
outside source.
There are some time restrictions that apply at all sites
(except residential/nonresidential camps).
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There must be at least three hours
between the beginning of one meal service and the beginning of the next meal service.
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Four hours elapse between lunch and supper when a migrant or
camp site serves lunch and supper, with no afternoon snack between
the two meals.
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Supper must begin before 7:00 pm and, in all cases, must end
by 8:00 pm.
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The serving period for lunch and supper should not exceed two
hours.
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The serving period for breakfast and snacks should not exceed
one hour.
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Meals must be served during the meal service times approved
by USDA.
Additional information about menu planning, meal service, and
meal recordkeeping for all sponsors is available in the
Nutrition
Guidance for Sponsors. |
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What Records Need To Be Kept?
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Sponsors must keep full and accurate
records so they can substantiate the number of program meals
served to children that they have submitted on each Claim for
Reimbursement. To justify Claims for Reimbursement,
sponsors must maintain records of meal counts taken daily at
each site. -
Sponsors must also keep full and
accurate records of allowable costs incurred in
administering and operating the Program.
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Training certification to
document that all administrative and site staff that will be
working with the Program received training before the Program
starts.
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Site Monitoring records for
pre-operational visits, first-week visit, and comprehensive
review for each site (see
Monitor’s Guide).
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Documentation of site eligibility
for each open and closed enrolled site.
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Documentation of individual
eligibility for the eligible children enrolled at a closed
enrolled site or residential/nonresidential camp session.
Sponsors must keep full and accurate records so they can
substantiate the
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Who Administers The Program In Virginia?
If you are interested in seeing that children in your community
get these meals, you can contact our office at the address and
telephone number listed below. Our staff will be happy to provide
you with additional information.
The Summer Meals for Kids is administered in Virginia by:
Food & Nutrition Service, USDA Mercer Corporate
Park 300 Corporate Boulevard Robbinsville, NJ 08691 Attn:
Summer Meals for
Kids
Toll-Free Telephone 1-800-448-USDA (1-800-448-8732)
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Program Contacts
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What
Other Sources of Help Are There?
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Everyone Wins With Summer Meals for Kids!
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Children in low-income areas have free nutritious meals and
organized activities during the summer.
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The parents of the children stretch food dollars and have
healthy, supervised recreation for their children.
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Cafeteria workers have summer employment.
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Your organization receives Federal money to carry out the
program.
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Kids return to school in the Fall ready to learn.
Childhood Hunger! The sooner you
believe it; the sooner we can end it!
“In accordance with Federal
law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is
prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, age, or disability.”
To file a complaint of
discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call, toll
free (866) 632-9992 (Voice). TDD users can contact USDA through
local relay or the Federal Relay at (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or
(866)377-8642 (relay voice users). USDA is an equal opportunity
provider and employer. |
Last modified:
10/30/2008
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