BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Department of Education's Division of Nutrition Support is now accepting applications from eligible agencies and organizations to serve as sponsors and program sites for the 2020 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which provides healthy meals to children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, during the summer months when school is not in session.
The federally funded SFSP is administered on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the state's education department. Any child aged 18 or younger, or anyone over the age of 18 who is determined by a state or local educational agency or a local public education agency to be mentally or physically disabled and who participates during the school year in a public or private non-profit school program established for the mentally or physically disabled, may receive meals through the SFSP. The program is held in economically disadvantaged areas, or neighborhoods and communities in which half of the school children are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals during the school year. Eligibility may also be determined by census information by use of site-level Community Eligibility Provision information or by use of individual eligibility of children.
Approved sponsors receive financial assistance to help with the cost of obtaining, preparing, and serving food under the program, including administrative costs. Sponsors must be able to provide a capable staff, managerial skills, and food service capabilities. A sponsor may provide its own meals, purchase meals through an agreement with an area school, or contract for meals with a food vendor.
Examples of local organizations that often serve as sponsors include: public or private non-profit schools; local, municipal, parish, tribal or state governments; private non-profits; public or private non-profit camps; and private or non-profit universities or colleges.
Applications are being accepted now through April 15. Complete the sponsor application.
Training must be completed by potential sponsors prior to application approval. Learn more about upcoming training sessions.
Applicants will be notified once applications have been reviewed by staff.
The program is also in need of agencies or organizations that are willing to serve as program sites. The sites are the physical locations where food is served. Each site location must work with an approved program sponsor that is financially and administratively responsible for meeting all program requirements for the applicable meal service type(s) at the site.
For more information, contact the Department's Division of Nutrition Support at 1-877-453-2721 or (225) 342-3720.
Non Discrimination Statement
In accordance with federal law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, and American Sign Language) should contact the responsible State or local agency that administers the program or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete an AD-3027 USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant's name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442
email:
program.intake@usda.gov
