Summer food service sponsors needed

A program that provides meals to children in areas of need during the summer is in need of community support.

The Idaho Department of Education is seeking sponsors for this year’s Summer Food Service Program. The program provides free meals and snacks to children 18 and younger by operating sites in low-income areas during summer months.

According to Feeding America’s 2021 Map the Meal Gap, about 8.6% of Idaho’s children have experienced food insecurity. In the summer, it is more of a challenge to reach children and families in need of nutritional support. The food service program helps address the need by providing children with nutritious meals while school is not in session.

The Idaho Department of Education collaborates with community partners to provide meals to children during this summer gap. Sponsors are reimbursed for each qualifying breakfast, lunch, snack and/or supper served at approved sites. For the 2024 program year, sponsors may be, but are not limited to:

• Public or private nonprofit schools
• Public or private nonprofit residential camps
• Local, municipal, county, tribal or state governments
• Public or private nonprofit colleges or universities that participate in the National Youth Sports Program
• Upward Bound programs, religious organizations, libraries and private nonprofit organizations

“This is an indispensable service for Idaho’s children, especially those who have a harder time accessing regular, healthy meals while school is out,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield said in a Jan. 22 news release. “We’re looking for organizations in our communities to step up to help Idaho kids this summer.”

In Region 1, North Idaho, the Summer Food Service Program lacks adequate coverage in St. Maries, Boundary County, Kootenai, Kellogg and Wallace.

Sponsors are sought all across the state, especially in rural areas where coverage gaps exist. The department is partnering with the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force to increase awareness and recruitment.

All sponsors, new and returning, are required to attend training at a location most convenient for them and must complete the application process. The 2024 training schedule for Coeur d’Alene is March 12.

Application information will be provided to eligible sponsors and is due to the Idaho Department of Education by April 26. Department approval is required prior to program operation.

Visit sde.idaho.gov/cnp/sfsp or call 208-332-6828 for information on becoming a sponsor or hosting a feeding site.

    Critchfield