Sponsors are sought for meal, snack sites across the state
DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Education today announced it is seeking local sponsors to provide nutritious meals or snacks to children in low-income areas of the state through its Summer Food Service Program.
Summer can often mean the opposite of sunshine and fun for more than 200,000 Iowa children who, instead, face hunger. Once the academic school year ends, many children who qualify to receive school-sponsored, free and reduced-price meals may go without.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), administered by the Iowa Department of Education, aims to remedy childhood food insecurity by providing nutritious meals and snacks to children in low-income areas during the summer months.
The program uses local sponsors and partner organizations to manage summer meal services. Typical sponsors include public or nonpublic schools, public or private non-profit colleges/universities, private non-profit organizations and camps, and local, county, municipal, state or federal agencies, with serving sites located in schools, churches, community centers, parks, libraries, housing complexes or camps.
To qualify as a site, the meal service must be either located in a low-income neighborhood where at least 50 percent of the children are eligible for free and reduced-price meals or must serve primarily low-income children and not duplicate services already being provided by another organization. Once a site location is established, all children 18 and under are welcome to participate.
Organizations can also get involved by partnering with existing sponsors to promote site locations, provide activities for children, volunteers, transportation assistance and more.
Organizations interested in learning how to get involved are invited to visit the Department’s Summer Food Service Program webpage, participate in an informational webinar on Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. or contact Stephanie Dross at 515-281-4760 or stephanie.dross@iowa.gov.
USDA Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, 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 a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, 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 (ASCR) 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, DC 20250-9410; or - Fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or - Email:
program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.