Updated: 2012 SFSP Sponsor Training Info

The New York State Education Department has released the following information about the Summer Food Service Program for 2012:

Updated mandatory training dates for new and existing sponsors

Additional training for sponsors that operate camp sites

2012 Per-meal reimbursement rates 

Income eligibility determinations

President Obama's Budget Preserves Safety Net

From the Food Research and Action Center:

President Obama’s FY2013 budget protects and proposes to strengthen the nation’s nutrition safety net for the many Americans who continue to struggle with hunger, lost jobs, and reduced wages. Chief among his proposals are: restoration of cuts to SNAP (food stamps) benefits made in the 2010 child nutrition bill and scheduled to take place in FY 2013; and the suspension for a fiscal year of time limits on benefits for certain unemployed, working-age, low-income adults without dependents.

“As the nation recovers from the recession, tens of millions still struggle with hunger. In 2010 alone, nearly one in four households with children said there were times they were unable afford enough food for their households,” said FRAC President Jim Weill. “The President’s budget makes important investments in our nation’s nutrition safety net, and FRAC is committed to working with the Administration and with Congress to ensure that the programs are protected and improved.”

Click here for the details.

Letter from USDA Under Secretary Kevin Conconcannon: Summertime Shouldn't Be a Hungry Time

Summer Time Shouldn’t be Hungry Time

Help Feed Hungry Kids through USDA’s Summer Food Service Program

By Kevin Concannon, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services

In the midst of winter, it can be easy to forget those long, hot days of June, July and August. But it’s not too soon to start applying and planning for sponsorship to feed hungry children when schools close their doors for the summer.

More than 21 million children in the country receive free and reduced price meals during the school year, but when summer rolls around, only about 1 in 10 of those kids ( 2.3 million) get free meals through federal summer feeding programs. Clearly, there is a gap that needs filling.

Enter USDA’s Summer Food Service Program. The federal government understands that kids are at higher risk of going hungry during the summer months, and we are working to fill that void. The important work of feeding our low-income kids, however, can’t be accomplished by government alone. You or your organizations have an important role to play.

Faith-based, community and private non-profit organizations are pivotal in the lives of needy children. And schools, churches, recreation centers, playgrounds, parks, and camps are all eligible and encouraged to serve SFSP meals in neighborhoods with a high percentage of low-income families. These locations, by their very nature, offer safe and familiar environments and are places children gather during months when school is closed.

But feeding hungry young people requires commitment. Sponsors must be able to provide a capable staff, managerial skills and food service capabilities.   Sponsors may provide their own meals, purchase meals through an agreement with an area school, or contract for meals with a food vendor. And don’t forget to register your summer feeding sites for the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-Hungry or  1-877-8-HAMBRE.

It’s also important to note that the most successful summer programs offer activities for kids. Children are much more likely to come out for a meal when there is an activity to keep them there. These can include anything from sports, tutoring and arts and crafts, to more creative activities with community partners. Developing partnerships with other community organizations is often the key to being able to offer great activities.

Last June, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack launched the first-ever National Summer Food Service Program Week: “Food That's In When School Is Out.” This year’s campaign is set for June 11-15 and will continue to promote federal and non-government initiatives across the country designed to feed low-income children during the summer.

To learn more about the Summer Food Service Program or to participate in one of USDA’s free webinar sessions on opportunities to provide summer meals, please visit www.summerfood.usda.gov. These helpful webinars will highlight the program, offer an understanding of how SFSP works, detail sponsor roles and responsibilities, and provide outreach tips and other resources to get started.

Together we can continue to tackle childhood hunger and ensure kids receive the nutritious meals they need in summer, and throughout the year. We look forward to working with you to meet that goal.

FRAC SFSP Conference Call: Site Recruitment

From the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC): 

FRAC announces the next conference call focusing on summer meals. Register now for...

Site Recruitment -- Tuesday, March 6, at 1:00 pm EST

Click here to register.

Summer meal sites must be available and conveniently located to ensure that children are able to attend and eat summer meals. Schools, parks and churches are just a few examples of places that can operate as summer sites. Presenters will share strategies to recruit sites and speak about how they work with the community and existing sponsors to increase the number of sites serving summer meals.

March 8: Western NY Breakfast in the Classroom Event

YOU’RE INVITED

Western New York Breakfast Tour and Info Session
Thursday, March 8, 2012
7:30 – 9:00 am
Fyle Elementary School, Rush-Henrietta CSD
133 Vollmer Parkway
Rochester, NY 14623

Please join us for this informative event!
- Tour a breakfast in the classroom program
- Interact with a panel of school professionals
- Learn about different strategies to increase your school breakfast participation and reimbursement dollars

Event is free and breakfast will be served.

View the invitation for more information and RSVP details.  

2012 SFSP Sponsor Training and Reimbursement Rates

The New York State Education Department has released the following information about the Summer Food Service Program for 2012:

Updated mandatory training dates for new and existing sponsors

Additional training for sponsors that operate camp sites

2012 Per-meal reimbursement rates

USDA Announces Latest Actions to Combat Fraud and Enhance SNAP Program Integrity

The USDA recently announced its latest efforts to combat fraud by SNAP vendors and enhance program integrity..The press release states that USDA staff took final actions to:

• Sanction, through fines or temporary disqualifications, more than 225 stores found violating program rules; and
• Permanently disqualify over 350 stores for trafficking in SNAP benefits (i.e. exchanging SNAP benefits for cash).

These enforcement actions are part of the Obama Administration's ongoing Campaign to Cut Waste and root out fraud and abuse in federal programs, including SNAP. While fraud is a relatively limited problem in SNAP – the violating stores represent less than ½ of one percent of more than 230,000 food stores authorized to redeem benefits – no level of fraud is tolerated. USDA's Food and Nutrition Service conducts ongoing surveillance and investigation, to find bad actors and remove them from the program. In fiscal year 2011, FNS reviewed over 15,000 stores, and permanently disqualified over 1,200 for program violations. 

Click here to learn more.