2025 Summer Food

As part of our collaborative efforts to enhance USDA’s summer nutrition programs, approved program operators in low-income, rural areas can now use alternate service models that are tailored to the needs of the children and communities they serve. Learn how to feed kids far from the bus stop.

Planning for summer meal service looks different than menu planning in the CACFP. Get an overview of what is allowable in SFSP and learn how to create summer cycle menus that promote healthy eating.

What does it take to feed children over the summer months? A lot of preparation comes before launching your summer food program. Uncover the month-by-month tasks that will help you be successful with the SFSP, from reaching out to previous sites to bidding to hiring to paperwork and so much more!

For some states, the SUN Meals To-Go program has just begun, and for others, the option is still to be explored. Get inspired to collaborate with others to serve rural summer meals in your state by hearing about the successes and challenges from the Meals To You Alaska demonstration project’s first year in operation.

As a first-year sponsor of the SFSP serving congregate meals, there is much to learn, including the distinct differences between summer food and other federally funded food programs. Examine a new sponsor’s dive into the program, knowledge and strategies gained, and how you can make effective changes to maximize opportunities for both sponsor and sites.

Curious to see how Texas implemented non-congregate feeding in Summer 2024? Learn about the challenges faced in implementing a full non-congregate program in a short timeframe, the lessons learned, common issues and observations, and best practices for operators wishing to serve non-congregate SFSP meals in Summer 2025.

Are you curious about implementing SFSP Non-Congregate Meals (NCM) into your summer feeding options? Hear how an Arizona-based food bank discovered qualifying populations, operational implementation, and successes in reaching rural communities with an added perspective of administering the option to children in tribal communities.

How could one agency provide hundreds of thousands of meals during the summer of 2024 in several locations throughout two states? Parental pickup and home delivery services!  Enhance your program and reach more children by understanding what worked (and what didn’t).