Add Your Strength to the Fight Against Food Insecurity in Tennessee!
Roughly 30 percent of Tennessee children qualify for the National School Lunch Program and more than 19 percent of children face food insecurity with limited access to nutritious meals during summer months.
When school is out, the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) collaborates with community partners sponsors and meal sites to administer the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and ensure Tennessee children have access to the nutrition they need to develop.
Opportunities to Join Tennessee’s Fight Against Food Insecurity with the Summer Food Service Program
Tennesseans can join the fight against food insecurity with an organization, offer support as an individual volunteer or work to launch a site in their area as part of the Summer Food Service Program.
Serve Summer Meals with Your Organization as a Sponsor or Meal Site
In Tennessee, organizations have two options to partner with TDHS to serve summer meals through the SFSP:
- Apply to become a Summer Food Service Program sponsor
AND/OR - Launch a meal site under the supervision of an established sponsor
What is an SFSP Sponsor
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors are organizations that collaborate with TDHS to administer SUN Meals (meals and snacks that are available at approved neighborhood locations) and SUN Meals-to-Go (meals that can be picked up by families in rural areas) according to federal guidelines. These meals are served at no cost to recipients. TDHS administers USDA reimbursement payments to sponsors for meals served and related documented operating costs. Click on the headings below for more details:
These organizations qualify to become a summer food service sponsor:
- Schools and other local government agencies
- Public or private nonprofit camps
- Public or private colleges and universities
- Nonprofit community or faith-based organizations
Tennessee organizations may apply to become a Summer Food Service Program sponsor if the organization:
- Serves children in families with low incomes
- Has federal tax-exempt status or is a public entity
- Demonstrates financial and administrative capacity and is not seriously deficient
- Offers year-round service to the community
SFSP sponsors are expected to:
- Participate in TDHS training and attend mandatory SFSP workshops and ensure all site and administrative personnel involved are trained.
- Accept financial and administrative responsibility for the execution of the Summer Food Service Program.
- Competitively procure purchases need for meal service.
- Locate and recruit eligible meal site partners.
- Provide (hire, train and supervise) adequate staff/volunteers for the supervision of each meal site.
- Submit timely reports and maintain program documents for the current year and three subsequent years.
- Cooperate with TDHS and USDA monitoring personnel.
- Host or supervise a meal site: A single sponsor is permitted serve meals at one or more approved sites under their administration. Sponsors may host a meal site or choose to partner with other organizations to host a meal site under the sponsor’s supervision. However, sponsors cannot delegate administrative, operational, or financial responsibilities to another organization or entity.
Sponsorship Application Deadline: May First
To become a sponsor, Tennessee organizations must complete the sponsor application process and required training by May first to be approved to serve meals the same year. Applications submitted after the application deadline will be declined and deferred to the following year. Organizations that are unable to complete the application on time, may still qualify to serve as an SFSP meal site.
What is an SFSP Meal Site
SFSP meal sites are the locations where summer meals are served under the guidance of a sponsor.
Organizations that host a summer meal site have fewer responsibilities compared to SFSP sponsors. Organizations that operate a meal site are expected to:
- Attend SFSP sponsor continuing education trainings.
- Be familiar with the SFSP operational practices and follow SFSP guidelines.
- Serve one or two meals daily (breakfast, snack, lunch and supper). Note: both lunch and supper cannot be claimed at a regular site.
- Incorporate summer meals into an organized and adequately supervised youth activity (such as a recreational program).
- Adhere to the regulations of local health departments: All preparation facilities and serving sites are subject to health inspections by local authorities.
- Keep daily meal count records.
Note: Organizations may qualify to become one of four types of Summer Food Service meal sites:
- Open: An “open” meal site serves meals to all children in the immediate area on a first come, first serve basis according to the site’s capacity. To qualify, the meal site must be located in an area where half the children living in the area are eligible for free or reduced price meals under the school nutrition program. Open meal site eligibility may be based on information available from local school boards, housing authorities, or census data relative to the area served.
Organizations may also operate as a “Restricted-Open” meal site if attendance is restricted for reasons of security, safety or control. - Closed: A “closed” meal site serves a designated group of children who are participating in a specific activity (example: private group tutoring). To qualify as a “closed” SFSP meal site, half of the children enrolled in a program or hosted by the meal site must qualify to receive free or reduced price school meals. Summer school is not considered a closed enrolled site.
- Camp: Residential camps and nonresidential day camps that offer regularly scheduled food services as part of an organized program for children may qualify to serve SFSP meals if children enrolled in the camp are eligible to receive free or reduce-price lunch. Sponsors of camp sites must obtain information from the enrolled children to document their family’s size and income. Camp sponsors are reimbursed only for those meals served to children who are individually determined eligible. Area eligibility cannot be used to establish camp site eligibility.
- Schools: Sites can also be schools that serve meals managed by a school system as a continuation of the school’s lunch and breakfast program. The state Department of Education administers this component of the SFSP.
Volunteer with a Summer Food Service Program Sponsor or Meal Site
Volunteering is a good option for individuals who want to help address food insecurity and give back to their local community. Many SFSP partners rely on volunteers to distribute meals, assist with food prep and other tasks that address child food insecurity. Some SFSP sites also have organized arts and crafts, tutoring, mentoring, drama, sports, computer training, music, gardening, reading, cooking and other activities that keep the interest of the children and teens served and welcome the support of volunteers, fire departments, local celebrities, businesses, political figures and community members.
Tennesseans who are interested can use the Summer Meal Site Finder to find contact information for a local meal site or sponsor and learn about volunteer opportunities available at the site or sponsor organization.
Mobilize Your Community to Start an SFSP Sponsorship or Meal Site
If you cannot find an SFSP meal site in your area, consider working with a local organization to establish a meal site or become a sponsor.
To get started mobilizing your community, reach out to your local school principal, teachers, parent teachers association, school food service manager, school officials ( school board or superintendent of schools), mayor's office, elected officials or parks and recreation leadership to share your thoughts on the need for an SFSP meal site in your area before contacting the SFSP team.
Ready to Get Started?
If your organization is ready to fight child hunger in Tennessee or has questions related to the Summer Food Service Program, get started with these resources:
Summer Food Service Program Sponsor Application: Information about the application process for SFSP sponsor and meal site partners can be found on the Apply to Serve Summer Meals Page. Sponsorship applications must be completed by May first to serve meals the same year.
Training for Summer Food Service Sponsors and Meal Site Partners: Sponsor and meal site partners are invited to use the training library or attend an upcoming training workshop or annual Summer Summit to learn about SFSP best practices and food insecurity in Tennessee. Details on the Training page.
USDA Resources: Tennessee organizations can find SFSP resources at Fns.Usda.Gov/Summer/Sfsp/Implementing-Agency
Summer Food Service Program Contact Information: Tennesseans who have questions about the Summer Food Service Program, application process, training or related topics can contact the SFSP team:
Email: TNSFSP.DHS@tn.gov
Phone: (615) 313-4749