The Summer Meal Food Service Program ensures that children who rely on school meals during the school year don’t go hungry during the summer.
As you know, many students rely on school meals to get the nutrition they need to grow, be healthy and succeed in school. In the summer, these children lack access to those meals and families struggle to put food on the table. The federal summer meals program provides a solution to summertime hunger for kids.
In general, summer meals programs, funded through federal dollars, are free and require no identification or income verification from parents. Unfortunately, many parents simply do not know they exist. Not only do these programs provide nutritious meals, they also give kids a chance to engage in fun, healthy activities during the summer months. Help combat childhood hunger and ensure that your students have the summertime nutrition they need to return to school in September ready to learn.
The NJ Food for Thought Campaign and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture is asking for your help in spreading the word to parents about these programs (find out if your community has summer meals location).
If your district or community provides summer meals, please inform your parents of these meals through your district’s website, e-news and by printing information on the back of menus and distributing flyers in children’s backpacks.
Find resources to spread the word to your parents
If you don’t have a summer meals program or would like to expand your existing program, contact the NJ Department of Agriculture at (609) 292-4498. The department provides support and technical assistance in getting the programs up and running. For more information, click here.