Summer Meals Resource List

With summer rapidly approaching, many organizations are working hard to ensure children have access to the meals they need while schools are out of session. Summer meal programs are available in a variety of places across communities, including libraries, recreation centers, and other community gathering places. Anyone can be a champion for summer meals to raise community awareness of programs currently offered and to support the development of new summer meal sites.

To equip summer meals champions with information and resources, a group of participants in the Healthy Food Community of Practice created this list of resources from national organizations, state advocates, and USDA on summer meals. Resources include guidance on a range of topics including ways to access meals, how to become a summer meals site or sponsor, examples from other programs, and more.

This list is a living document. If you have resources to add to this list, please submit them via this form.

Research/Reports Research from the field demonstrates the need for and value of summer meal programs.

• FRAC’s Annual Summer Doesn’t Take a Vacation

• FRAC: Summer Nutrition and Enrichment Programs: Effective Tools to Support Child Food Security, Health, and Learning During the Summertime

• ULC’s Food is a Right: Libraries and Food Justice

Mapping Tools These mapping tools can help communities assess where additional summer meal services may be needed and where open meal sites can be operated.

• No Kid Hungry’s Averaged Area Eligibility Map

• USDA’s Capacity Builder Map

• FRAC’s Summer Meals Mapper

How to become a site or sponsor Interested in establishing a summer meal site in the future? These resources can help.

• USDA’s Administration Guide for Summer Meals

• USDA’s How to Become a SFSP Sponsor

• USDA’s State SFSP Contacts

Program planning and operations These resources can help summer meal sponsors and sites with planning and implementation.

• No Kid Hungry’s Proactive Planning for Summer Meals Sponsors

• USDA’s Summer Meals Toolkit

• No Kid Hungry’s Summer Food Service Program Overview

• No Kid Hungry’s Summer Meals Fact Sheet

• No Kid Hungry’s Navigating Area Eligibility In Summer And Afterschool Meals

• No Kid Hugnry’s Feeding A Crowd - Tips For Congregate Meal Service

• No Kid Hungry’s SFSP & SSO Requirements - Comparison Chart Of Usual Vs. COVID-19 Waiver Operations

• FRAC Sponsor Retention Strategies

• FRAC’s Governor’s Guide to Summer Meals

• FRAC Facts: Summer Basics

• No Kid Hungry’s Successful Non-Congregate Meal Service Models For Rural Areas: Implementation Guide

How to get meals These resources offer guidance on getting meals to serve at sites.

• USDA’s Meal Service Options

• USDA’s Meal Service Requirements

Meal Quality These resources offer guidance on incorporating healthy foods into summer meals.

• FRAC A How-To Guide for Summer Food Sponsors on Purchasing High Quality Summer Meals

• FRAC’s Fresh From the Farm: Using Local Foods in the Afterschool and Summer Nutrition Programs

Staffing

Dedicated and effective staff are key to maintaining a summer meals program. This section includes resources about hiring, training and retaining staff.

• No Kid Hungry’s Hiring & Retaining Staff: Your Most Precious Commodity (webinar recording)

• No Kid Hungry’s Staffing Up: Strategies For Working Through Labor Shortage Challenges

• No Kid Hungry’s Tips For Staffing Summer Meals Programs

Example Programs Organizations share lessons learned from established summer meal programs.

• ULC’s Summer Challenge: Combatting Book and Food Deserts

• ULC’s Free Summer Food & Fun at Broward County Library

• ULC’s Feeding Bodies to Feed Minds

• No Kid Hungry’s Grab & Go Success Stories - Missoula Food Bank & Community Center, Montana

• No Kid Hungry’s Grab & Go Success Stories - Lowcountry Food Bank, South Carolina

• No Kid Hungry’s Free Summer Meals At Atrium Health University City: A Case Study

Partnerships Many different types of organizations and entities can get involved in summer meals. The resources in this section highlight some of the different possible partners and their interests.

• No Kid Hungry’s Summer Meals in Libraries (webpage)

• No Kid Hungry’s Summer Meals In Your Community - Engagement Toolkit For Elected Officials

• FRAC Facts for Libraries: Participating in Summer and Afterschool Meals

• FRAC Facts: Hospitals and Summer Food

Outreach Ideas Getting the word out in the local community is critical to the reach and impact of a summer meals program. These resources provide strategies and downloadable materials to help promote your summer meals programs.

• No Kid Hungry’s Summer Meals Outreach Toolkit

• FRAC’s Outreach to Increase Participation in the Summer Nutrition Programs

Questions? Feel free to contact a member of the Summer Meals Pod from the Healthy Food Community of Practice.

• Paige Pokorney, Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry campaign: ppokorney@strength.org

• Clarissa Hayes, Food Research & Action Center: chayes@frac.org

• Kelsey Boone, Food Research & Action Center: kboone@frac.org

• Katie Sullivan, Urban Libraries Council: ksullivan@urbanlibraries.org