Why is SFSP important to your community?

You know that children who miss school breakfast and lunch are more likely to be sick, absent or tardy, disruptive in class, and inattentive. They also score lower on achievement tests. Good nutrition is essential for learning in school. SFSP provides an opportunity to continue a child's physical and social development while providing nutritious meals during long vacation periods from school. It helps children return to school ready to learn.

How does the program operate?

The Food and Nutrition Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, administers SFSP at the federal level. State education agencies administer the program in most states. In some areas, the state health or social service department or an FNS regional office may be designated.

Locally, SFSP is run by approved sponsors, including school districts, local government agencies, camps, or private nonprofit organizations. Sponsors provide free meals to a group of children at a central site, such as a school or a community center. They receive payments from USDA, through their state agencies, for the meals they serve.

Where does the program operate?

States approve SFSP meal sites as open, enrolled, or camp sites.

• Open sites operate in low-income areas where at least half of the children come from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, making them eligible for free and reduced-price school meals. Meals are served free to any child at the open site.
• Enrolled sites provide free meals to children enrolled in an activity program at the site where at least half of them are eligible for free and reduced-price meals.
• Camps may also participate in SFSP. They receive payments only for the meals served to children who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals

Who can sponsor SFSP?

Units of local government, camps, schools, and private nonprofit organizations can sponsor the SFSP. If your organization already provides services to the community, and has capable staff and good management practices to run a food service, you can sponsor the SFSP.

As a sponsor, you will attend the state agency's training, locate eligible sites, hire, train and supervise staff, arrange for meals to be prepared and delivered, monitor sites and prepare claims for reimbursement.

We’re a smaller organization, what can we do?

Many organizations, particularly smaller ones, may want to consider operating a feeding site, such as a recreational or enrichment program. Many sponsors would welcome such an arrangement.

If you supervise a site, you will attend your sponsor's training, supervise activities and the meal service, keep daily records of meals served, store food appropriately, and keep the site clean and sanitary. You should contact the state agency indicating your interest as a site, or find a local sponsor and make your own arrangements.

Who is eligible to get meals?

Children 18 and younger may receive free meals and snacks through SFSP.

Meals and snacks are also available to persons with disabilities, over age 18, who participate in school programs for people who are mentally or physically disabled.

How many meals do participants receive each day?

At most sites, children receive either one or two reimbursable meals each day. Camps and sites that primarily serve migrant children may be approved to serve up to three meals to each child, each day.

How long has the SFSP been in existence?

SFSP was first created as part of a larger pilot program in 1968. It became a separate program in 1975.

How can I find a site in my community?

To find a meal service site near where you live, contact organizations in your community that are offering an activity program. Organizations offering activities for children are often local schools, community centers, recreation centers, and faith-based organizations.

You may also call the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-8-HAMBRE. If you are unable to find a site in your area, please contact your state agency and ask for the location of a meal service site in your community.

What can I do if there are no nearby sites feeding children?

If there are no meal service sites in your area, you can mobilize your community to sponsor the program. In order for a site to exist in your community, a school, nonprofit organization or local government agency must be the program sponsor and be responsible for the administration of the program. To begin mobilizing your community, contact the following people and groups, and tell them there is an interest in the community to feed children in the summer. Contact:

• The school principal
• Teachers
• The Parent Teachers Association
• The school food service manager
• School officials such as the school board or superintendent of schools
• The Mayor's office
• Recreation and Parks Office
• County officials
• Elected officials

I want to help, what else can I do?

Volunteer! Our best SFSP sites have organized, well-run activities that keep the interest of the children and teens coming back to the site day after day. Some of these activities include arts and crafts, tutoring, mentoring, drama, sports, computer training, music, gardening, reading programs, cooking or any other creative ideas you may have.

Many sites have enlisted local fire and police departments, local celebrities, local businesses and local political figures to make presentations to their SFSP sites. The only limitation is your imagination.

How do I get started?

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, or don't know of a sponsor in your area, contact your state agency.

A partir del 10 de mayo de 2024, el buscador de sitios tiene datos de 15 estados e incluye:  AK, AR, CA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MN, MO, NC, ND, PA, SC, TX, WV.

Abra el Buscador de sitios en una nueva ventana.

As of May 10, 2024, the site finder has data for 15 states, and includes: AK, AR, CA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MN, MO, NC, ND, PA, SC, TX, and WV.

If your state is not included in this list, please check back. The site finder is updated with new state submissions every Friday throughout the summer. Additionally, the site finder does not list sites offering meal delivery for SUN Meals To-Go. Please contact the site directly or your state agency to explore additional meal service options that may be available where you live.

Open the Site Finder in a new window.

About the Site Finder

USDA works closely with states to ensure that children who receive free or reduced-price school meals can get the nutrition they need when schools are closed for summer break. Through USDA's summer meal programs, approved sites in communities across the country serve meals and snacks to kids 18 and younger at no cost. Families can use the Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder to find directions to nearby meal sites, as well as their hours of operation and contact information.

The Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder was developed by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to help children, families, and others quickly and easily find summer meal sites near them. The site finder is a free, web-based application that also works on tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices.

Information found on the site finder is provided by state agencies throughout the country that operate USDA summer meal programs. This year the Site Finder can help you find two types of summer meal sites: Eat On-Site and Meals To-Go. Both types of sites offer free meals and snacks to children 18 and younger.

• Eat On-Site
  • meals and snacks must be eaten at the site
  • kids get to spend time with other kids and many sites also offer enrichment activities
• Meals To-Go
  • available in some rural areas
  • meals and snacks can be picked up to eat off-site
  • sites may provide meals and snacks for multiple days at a time
  • kids may get to spend time with other kids before taking their meals or snacks off-site and sites may also offer enrichment activities

Learn more about USDA’s SUN Programs: Summer Nutrition Programs for Kids.

Quick Tips for Using the Site Finder

Search box - Enter a zip code, city, state, or street address to find a map showing summer meal sites in your area. If several sites appear, select the best option and the map will zoom in and pin that location.

Map - Use the plus (+) and minus (-) buttons to zoom in and out on the map. If you do not see any sites using the information you entered in the search box, try zooming out in the map to look for sites in the surrounding area.

Site openings – If your search doesn’t show any results on the map, it’s possible that summer sites in your area have not opened for the season or have closed for the season. The site finder is updated every Friday, so check back frequently for the latest information.

Search results will appear on the map as well as in a table below the map. When you click on a dot or square on the map, a pop-up window will appear. This window will show important information about the summer site, such as its name, location, meal schedule, and whether the meals or snacks are provided on-site or to-go. Select the arrow button to view this information in a table below the map. The table will be highlighted in blue after you click on a dot or square. Zoom out and search again to find a different location or broaden your search.

When you select sites that are grouped close together on the map, a pop-up window with multiple pages will appear. Use the (<) or (>) buttons located on the bottom left corner of the pop-up window to click through the results. The number in the bottom right corner indicates the total number of meal sites found.

Reporting Incorrect Data

Local summer meal operators provide information about their meal sites to their state agency. The state agency then submits that information to USDA. Data is updated every Friday throughout the summer to include new locations.

To report incorrect data, please contact your state agency.

Additional Assistance

Families seeking food assistance for their children can also contact The USDA National Hunger Hotline, operated by Hunger Free America. The hotline can be reached Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET at 

• 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) (for English) or 
• 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) (for Spanish). 

Finally, please contact your state agency for additional meal service options that may be available in your state.