USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)
Summer Food Service Program Outreach Materials
Summer Food Summit
Tinley Park Convention Center
Tinley Park, Illinois
November 8, 2012
The United States Department of Agriculture is an
equal opportunity provider and employer
Publicizing Summer Meals
•
Information on meal service at SFSP open sites must be
publicized in the community served;
•
School Food Authorities (SFAs) applying to participate in the
Seamless Summer Option (SSO) must describe how each site will
advertise the availability of meal services to the children in the
community.
•
Outreach is important to make your feeding site successful. The
more people who know about the Program, the more children
who will come to your site for a meal.
Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2010
Outreach to Households on Availability of
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Meals
• The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act 2010 (the Act), Public Law 111-296
establishes requirements for conducting outreach to households on the
availability of SFSP Meals. Effective as of October 1, 2010.
• Schools must conduct outreach on the availability of the SFSP before the
end of the school year;
• School Food Authority (SFA) can distribute information to households such
as location of nearby SFSP meal sites, times of service, and SFSP sponsor
contact information.
• SFA may distribute the information through means normally used to
communicate with the households of enrolled children.
USDA FNS Public Website
SFSP Outreach Resources
•
Main SFSP Outreach Page on FNS Public Website –
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm
– A Guide to Starting SFSP – Click the link on the webpage at
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm
– Introductory SFSP Webinars - Click the link on the webpage at
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm
– National Hunger Hotline – 1-866-3-Hungry and 1-877-8-Hambre. Click the link on the
webpage at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm to register your open
site. If a sponsor has many sites, please download and fill out template with list of open
feeding sites and email to: nhc@whyhunger.org
USDA FNS Public Website
SFSP Outreach Resources (continued)
•
Main SFSP Outreach Page on FNS Public Website –
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm
⁻
Door hangers in English and Spanish – Click the link on the
webpage at
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm
– Flyers in English and Spanish – Click the link on the webpage
at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm
– Post Volunteer Opportunities – Click the link to Serve.gov
(Corporation for National & Community Service) on the
webpage at
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm
USDA FNS Public Website
SFSP Outreach Resources (continued)
• Main SFSP Outreach Page on FNS Public Website –
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm
– ToolKit for Sponsors and Feeding Sites – Click the link on the webpage at
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm or go to the web
address on the next slide.
– SFSP Radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs) Transcripts – Click the link
on the webpage at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm
USDA Food and Nutrition Service
Summer Food Service Program
Outreach Toolkit for Sponsors and Feeding Sites
• Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Public Website
– Outreach ToolKit available in English and Spanish
@ http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/library/toolkit.pdf
o What is Outreach?
o Outreach to Families and Children
o Outreach to Media
 Templates for news releases to newspapers, TV and Radio
o Outreach to Community Organizations
Summer Meals Focus Group Findings
•
Share Our Strength (SOS) commissioned a research firm, Global
Strategy Group, to conduct focus groups with low-income parents in
three States on Summer Meal Programs.
•
Website: http://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/summermeals/summer-meals-focus-group-findings to access findings from
focus groups which include findings concerning outreach materials.
•
Several of the Key Findings:
 Awareness of free summer meals is low, but interest is high.
 Perceived benefits of Summer Meal Programs include free food and free
activities in a safe environment.
 Barriers to participation include transportation, questions about safety and
legitimacy of the sites, food quality, availability of activities and availability
of meals for parents.
Best Practices – FNS Public Website at:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/states/best_practices.html
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Activities
Meal Service
Program Access
Sponsor Retention
Special Populations
State Agency Achievement
Other Federal Resources
• Administration for Children and Families -http://www.acf.hhs.gov/
type the following into the “Search” field:
“A Guide to Resources and Funding for Community and Faithbased Organizations”
• Collaboration of USDA and Partnership for Sustainable Communities
(interagency partnership of HUD, DOT, and EPA), published “Federal
Resources for Sustainable Rural Communities” http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/RD_FedResources
SustainableCommunities.pdf
• Grants.gov – Federal website that centralizes and streamlines the
process of applying for grant programs through the 26 Federal
grant-making agencies.