Food and Nutrition Programs

Summer Food Service Program

What Is the Summer Food Service Program?

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally-funded program from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In Massachusetts, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DESE) administers the SFSP.

The SFSP provides supplemental reimbursement to participating sponsoring organizations for the provision of nutritious foods to children and teens during the summer months, when schools are out of session. All meals and snacks served must meet federal guidelines and be offered at no separate cost to participants.

Meal sites can be open to kids and teens in the community at a park, community center, or public pool, or can be limited to an enrolled program such as a summer camp.

Summer Food Service Program is also sometimes referred to as the Summer EATS (Expansion, Access, Training and Start-Up). Historically SFSP EATS Grants are made available on an annual basis for new and existing sponsors. The purpose of this State-funded Targeted grant program is to encourage sponsors to increase participation in the program by serving more children per day, increasing total meals served, extending the length of the SFSP, and/or creating new sites.

Where Can the SFSP Operate?

The Summer Food Service Program aims to serve individuals whose access to meals may be most interrupted by the end of the school year; therefore, communities in which 50% or more of the student population qualifies for free or reduced price meals are considered eligible locations for SFSP sites. Organizations can use the current list of schools in Massachusetts with at least 50% enrollment eligible for free or reduced-price meals to determine if their community is eligible to participate in the SFSP.

Enrolled programs and residential camps may also qualify as eligible for reimbursement under the SFSP, based on participant enrollment. Please see the USDA SFSP Administrative Guidance handbook for additional details on site eligibility and available SFSP site types.

During the summer months, individuals are able to search for open sites on the SFSP Site Mapper , offered through Project Bread's Child Nutrition Outreach Program (CNOP).

Who Is Eligible to Get Meals? And How Many Meals Can Participants Receive Each Day?

The SFSP is designed to serve children and teens up through age 18. Individuals over 18, who are determined by a State educational agency to be mentally or physically handicapped and who participate in a school program for the mentally or physically handicapped, may receive meals through the Summer Food Service Program.

At most sites, participants receive either one or two meals a day. Residential camps and sites that primarily serve children from migrant households may be approved to serve up to three meals per day.

How Much Reimbursement Does the Government Provide?

Federal reimbursement is determined by the source of meals (prepared by the organization, or purchased from a vendor), as well as the location of the site. Rates are available from the USDA SFSP website .

How Can an Organization Get Involved in the SFSP?

There are two ways for institutions to be involved in the SFSP—as a Sponsoring Organization or as a Site.

Sponsoring Organizations assume the total financial and administrative responsibility for operating the Program. Sponsors will hire and train staff to operate the SFSP, arrange for meals to be prepared or delivered, monitor sites, prepare and submit claims for reimbursement, and receive reimbursement for all eligible meals served.

Please note that programs interested in participating as a Sponsoring Organization must:

  • Be a public or private nonprofit organization.
  • Demonstrate administrative and financial capacity to manage the food service.
  • Provide year-round service to the community.
  • Agree to follow all State and Federal regulations as they pertain to operating a USDA Child Nutrition Program.

If your organization meets these requirements and is interested in participating in the SFSP as a Sponsoring Organization, you must complete a New SFSP Sponsor Interest Form . Please email a member of the Community Nutrition Programs Team with any questions about completing this form.

Interested organizations can submit this form between January 31st and June 6th.

Starting in April, eligible institutions will be contacted and scheduled to complete a new sponsor training and application. Please note that new institutions must have a fully submitted, reviewed, and approved application prior to being eligible for meal reimbursement.

Programs interested in offering meal service but do not have capacity to fully administer the SFSP as a sponsoring organization may elect to participate as a site under an established sponsoring organization. Please email a member of the Community Nutrition Programs Team with information about your summer site and indicate your interest in being a site under an established sponsor. DESE staff will work with our current sponsoring organizations to facilitate sponsorship for your site, but cannot guarantee that a organization will have capacity to sponsor your site.

Last Updated: March 21, 2025

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