Helping Fill the Nutrition Gap
During the school year, tens of thousands of Oregon children eat school meals each day. However, when school ends for the year, so does this important source of nutrition. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP or aka Summer Meals) is meant to help fill that nutritional gap.
In Oregon, SFSP is administered by Oregon Department of Education Child Nutrition Programs (ODE CNP). Visit them to learn more. This website, summer meals marketing materials and other Oregon summer meal promotional efforts are a collaborative project of Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon and ODE CNP.
Summer Meals Basics
Most summer meal sites are open to all children, no application or proof of income is required! Summer Meals are open to all kids 1-18. Adults are welcome to attend, although the meal service is just for kids. Many of the sites offer fun, supervised enrichment activities for kids. Use the map to locate which sites in your community offer activities at what times.
Programs are run by parks and rec programs, faith and spiritual organizations, YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, schools, school districts and even more. Some programs choose to sell meals to adults that attend, although the cost cannot exceed what it costs to purchase the food, per meal.
The Gap
There are 133 local programs with more than 800 sites across Oregon, yet only 1 in 8 children that are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals during the school year currently participate. Find out how you can help to close the gap.
How Summer Food Service Program Got Started
The Summer Food Service Program for Children was created by Congress in 1968. It is designed to provide funds for eligible organizations to serve nutritious meals to low-income children when school is not in session. Funding for meals is provided by the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer Food Service Program.