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Just as learning does not end when school lets out, neither does a child's need for good nutrition. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides free, nutritious meals and snacks to help children in low-income areas get the nutrition they need to learn, play and grow throughout the summer months when they are out of school.

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 New Jersey, the state Department of Agriculture is the administering agency

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture is looking for organizations interested in providing meals for needy children this year under this federally funded program.

Please be advised that due to Summer Food Service Program regulations, the federal deadline to submit a Summer Food Service Program application is June 15If you would like to apply for the program, please contact our office at 609-292-4498.

If you need to contact the State Agency but are Limited English Proficient, please click here.

 

Sponsors

Locally, approved sponsors, including school districts, local government agencies, camps or private nonprofit organizations, run SFSP. 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 and for their documented operating costs.

Click here to view the list of Summer Food Service Program Sponsors.

Click here to view the list of Summer Food Service Program Feeding Sites.

Feeding Locations

There are three types of feeding locations in New Jersey to include open, enrolled or campsites. 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.

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.

Eligibility

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.

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.

Summer Food Service Program Policy Memos

Click here for the list of policy memos for the Summer Food Service Program.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

Click here for the USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

 

 
National Hunger Hotline

It’s important that parents know where summer sites in their neighborhoods are located so that they can also get these healthy, free meals to their children. To find out the closest SFSP site near you where you can get your kids to join the fun, parents and guardians can either call their state agency or the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-Hungry or 1-877-8-HAMBRE. It’s a free call, available in both English and Spanish, and is available from Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Also, text Food to 877-877.