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Summer Food Service Program For Maryland Children and Teens Seeks New Meal Locations

Summer Food Service Program For Maryland Children and Teens Seeks New Meal Locations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                    

PROGRAM CONTACT:
Sara Brandt, 410-767-0201
sara.brandt@maryland.gov

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jena Frick, 410-767-0503
jena.frick@maryland.gov

Summer Food Service Program For Maryland Children and Teens Seeks New Meal Locations

MSDE Strives to Build upon Program’s Success by Adding New Meal Sites in 2023

BALTIMORE, MD (March 2, 2023) – The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is seeking public and private non-profit organizations to serve as meal sites for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that provides free, nutritious meals to children and teens in the summer months when school is not in session.

Organizations participating in the SFSP served over 7.2 million meals to Maryland children and teens at nearly 1,400 sites in the summer of 2022. MSDE is focused on addressing the needs of children throughout the State and increasing access to the free summer meals program to close the nutrition gap between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next.

“Food insecurity during summer months is a significant issue facing children and teens in Maryland,” said State Superintendent of Schools, Mohammed Choudhury. “The Summer Food Service Program provides a vital support network of free meal sites across the State, and I encourage any families in need of these meals to take advantage of this program.”

The SFSP is a federally funded, State-administered program that provides reimbursement to organizations that sponsor sites to serve nutritious meals to children. The sites are located in areas where at least 50% of households qualify for free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program, or 50% of the children enrolled in a summer program qualify for free or reduced price meals. Most organizations may be reimbursed for up to two meals or snacks per child per day. Camps and migrant programs may be reimbursed for up to three meals per child each day. All meals and snacks must meet federal nutrition standards.

The SFSP is open to children and teens who participate during the school year in a public or private non-profit school, ages 18 and under and to individuals over 18 who have a mental or physical disability.

The deadline for applying to be a summer meal site is June 15, 2023. For more information about the SFSP, please visit www.eatsmartmaryland.org. Interested organizations should contact Sara Brandt at MSDE’s Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs at 410-767-0201 or at sara.brandt@maryland.gov.

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Press Release Summer Food Service Program_03_02_2023