Libraries and the Summer Food Service Program: 2024 update
Does your library serve summer meals/snacks, or are you interested in being a meal site or supporting other meal sites in your area? Many libraries in Ohio and around the USA participate in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), a USDA-funded program that provides free meals and snacks to children ages 0-18 in communities with high levels of need. In fact, nearly one out of every 10 SFSP sites in Ohio is a public library!
Libraries and SFSP are a great fit. The library is a trusted, accessible community center which is known for giving stuff out for free and has no stigma of “handout” attached to it.
Libraries are also justly famous for drop-in enrichment programming, which increases the appeal and use of SFSP sites.
SFSP is good for the library too. Besides the obvious benefits of addressing hunger and supporting vulnerable youth, participation gives libraries:
Access to new user groups, especially underserved and marginalized populations
Increased visibility of the library as a community asset
Opportunities for new partnerships
Positioning of the library as an important stakeholder in community well-being and positive child outcomes
Support for summer library programming through increased attendance
New for 2024: The USDA has released an interim final rule for rural non-congregate (“grab and go”) summer meals, intended to reduce barriers for children, teens, and families in rural areas to access healthy meals and snacks. In 2023, the USDA allowed non-congregate meal service in certain counties designated as rural. The definition of “rural” has been significantly broadened for summer 2024 to include many more areas. Note that not all areas defined as rural are SFSP-eligible; there remains an area income eligibility requirement. You may explore the new rural definition on the USDA rural designation page and see the new rural definition overlaid with area eligibility on the No Kid Hungry Summer Eligibility Map.
Interested in serving summer meals or snacks in 2024?
If you are already an SFSP site (or have been a site in the past), work with your regular sponsor to prepare for summer 2024. If your location is designated rural by the USDA, ask your sponsor about the non-congregate option.
If you want to become an SFSP site*, first find out if you are in an eligible area. Eligibility is based on the economic conditions of a geographic area, measured by school data or census data. Use the USDA's Capacity Builder Map to see if you are in an eligible area. When the map loads, scroll down and select “FY2024 FNS SFSP CACFP Eligibility.” Alternately, you may check your eligibility using the No Kid Hungry Summer Eligibility Map.
If you are not in an eligible area, see the Libraries and Summer Food guide (below) for alternatives to SFSP and other ways to help. If you are near eligible areas, contact the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce (ODEW) Office of Nutrition to find out if you may be eligible through Averaged Area Eligibility.
If you are in an eligible area, identify and contact a local SFSP sponsor* about becoming a site. The USDA Capacity Builder map can show you existing sites and their sponsors. I can also help you identify existing sponsors in your area, so feel welcome to email me.
If there is no sponsor in your area to ask, you might contact your school district administrative office, to discuss the possibility of their becoming an SFSP sponsor and using your library as a site. Or contact the food bank that serves your area. Or contact the Children’s Hunger Alliance, which can serve as an SFSP sponsor in all 88 Ohio counties for distribution of shelf-stable meals and snacks that meet nutrition guidelines. You may also complete the ODEW Potential Sponsor Survey. The ODEW administers the SFSP statewide and identifies new sponsors and sites through this survey. You can complete the survey to make your interest known to the ODE even if you just want to be a site and not a sponsor*.
* A note about SFSP sites and sponsors:
Sites are the locations where meals/snacks are served. Nearly all participating libraries are sites (not sponsors), or partner to bring enrichment activities to an existing site.
Sponsors handle the financial, administrative and food service responsibilities for SFSP in an area. Sponsors may contract with food service providers and do not have to prepare the food themselves. Sponsors are reimbursed for all expenses by the USDA. A few libraries are sponsors as well as sites.
For further information, No Kid Hungry’s Center for Best Practices offers a Summer and Afterschool Meals resource just for libraries. This webpage houses information for libraries nationwide on SFSP and the Child and Adult Care Food Program At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program (CACFP At-Risk, or Afterschool Meals). Planning and implementation resources are also available, along with training opportunities.
The No Kid Hungry resource aligns with and links to the Collaborative Summer Library Program’s Libraries & Summer Food how-to guide, which is a thorough, clear step-by-step guide for libraries wishing to participate in or support summer meals.
Also, the State Library’s SFSP webpage provides guidance for Ohio libraries and a collection of Ohio-specific links, instructions, and ideas.
Thank you for all you do to support the children and families in your community. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or for assistance.
