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SFG Revised: Starting a Summer Food Program |
Starting a Summer Food Program
Starting a summer food program from scratch can be a challenging but rewarding project!
Knowledge of your community is an important consideration when you begin planning your program. Barriers and resources will vary from region to region, and community involvement and input can be critical to your success.
This section will discuss ways to evaluate your community in planning efforts, as well as the logistics involved with training and applications for the program.
Evaluating the Need in Your Community
Questions and planning
Good communication and thoughtful planning are the cornerstone of a strong summer food program. If you have the time and resources to conduct surveys of parents and children, that’s the best way to evaluate local needs. Some questions you may want to ask:
- What do families do in the summer now?
- Where do they see a need for summer food in their community?
- What would they most want or need from a summer food program?
It can also be good to talk to other service providers and interested individuals in the area you are targeting. Not only will they contribute additional knowledge to the discussion, they may have resources to contribute. Consider organizing a community wide meeting to discuss topics such as:
- What resources and programs are already in place?
- How could a new summer meals program work with existing resources or programs?
- Where is the program most needed?
Other contacts
Other people who might have input on needs and resources in your community include:
- Teachers
- School administrators
- Food service staff
- School resource specialists/low-income or homeless liaisons
- Migrant education specialists
- Students
- Parent Teachers Association (PTA)
- Other Summer Food programs in the area
- Food banks, food pantries and emergency food sites
- Food stamp or public assistance offices
- Community Action agencies
- Head Start parents and staff
- Parks department
- Commissions on Children and Families
- Children’s advocacy groups in your community
- Local businesses
- Housing authority
- Local churches
- Community volunteers or informal community leaders
Case Study: Diversity Initiatives
After seeing a need in the community, Diversity Initiatives took charge and started to offer food to children using the After School Snack and Meals Program as they participated in homework clubs apartment complexes. From there, Diversity Initiatives became involved with the summer food program and began offering summertime lunches to youth at the apartments and has even expanded out into nearby parks and started sponsoring sites at locations unrelated to their own programs. Guided by compassion and determination, Diversity Initiatives has widened their project base to include programs that really benefit Oregon’s children and in the process is becoming a valuable member of the hunger relief community.
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Logistics of Starting a Summer Food Program
 Once you have a picture of what your community needs, you are ready to take the next steps necessary to start a Summer Food Program. While we will briefly discuss the logistics of starting a program here, you should also contact the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to discuss requirements, eligible areas and how the program might work in your community. They can help answer questions about which federal summer food program (Summer Food Service Program or Seamless Summer Option) is the most appropriate option for you, and let you know about application and training deadlines. There are three main logistical components to starting a Summer Food Program.
I.Training
Before you can apply to become a new Summer Food Sponsor, you’ll need to attend a training for new sponsors. Training dates vary from year to year but usually occur in late February or early March. You can find out all the information about the new sponsor training on the ODE website www.ode.state.or.us/services/nutrition/sfsp. There are separate trainings for schools and non-profits, so be sure that you sign up for the correct training!
At the training, you’ll get more information on filling out the application, paperwork requirements, applying for meal reimbursements, types of sites, site and monitoring requirements, meal patterns, outreach, and civil rights expectations.
II. Application
At the training, you will go over each part of the application required to be a new Summer Food sponsor. After the training, you will put together your application and submit it by the deadline, which usually occurs around the middle of April.
Information regarding all of the aspects of the application can be found in the US Department of Agriculture’s website (see “Resources” below) in Chapter 5 of the Administrative Guidance for Sponsors book.
While the application may seem lengthy, remember that you only have to go through this complex process once. Most sponsors find that the process of applying as a returning sponsor is much easier and takes less time!
III. Site Visits
Once you have submitted your application, a representative from the ODE will come out and visit your site to make sure that everything is in order. You will have the opportunity to work with their staff to address any issues that might cause problems at the site.
Once you are approved, you are ready to start your Summer Food Program!
Remember, you are not alone, and there are many organizations that can help you if you get stuck, including
- Oregon Department of Education
- Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force
- Local child and hunger advocates such as Community Action or local food banks
- School systems and food service administrators
- People or organizations in your region that have experience running or working with summer food or other meal programs.
Resources
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