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HomeNewsTennessee's DHS has announced their 2010 summer food program

Tennessee’s DHS has announced their 2010 summer food program

Local agencies to offer feeding sites

Nashville – The Tennessee Department of Human Services is looking for non-profit and local government agencies to help feed low-income children this summer.   The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is designed to provide healthy, nutritious meals to needy children during summer vacation.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides funding for the program, which is specifically designed for children who depend upon school lunch and breakfast programs and whose nutritional needs may be greater when schools are closed.

DHS contracts annually with a variety of local agencies (“sponsors”) to prepare, deliver and serve free meals and snacks to children at approved locations (“sites”) in low income areas.  In 2009, fifty-five sponsors operated the program at 1,582 feeding sites across Tennessee.  These sites included parks, playgrounds, recreation centers, schools, colleges, churches, camps, and other places accessible to needy children.

Sponsorship of the SFSP is limited to the following organizations:

  • Public and private non-profit school food authorities;
  • State, county or municipal governments;
  • Colleges and universities participating in the National Youth Sports Program;
  • Residential public or private non-profit summer camps; and
  • Private non-profit organizations.

Sponsors must agree to serve meals to all children in attendance regardless of their race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

For information regarding becoming a sponsor of the  SFSP or linking up as a site of  an existing sponsor, please contact David Farmer or Doug Hutchison before March 17, 2010, at (615) 313?4749.  They can also be reached by e-mail at david.farmer@tn.gov or doug.hutchison@tn.gov . The deadline for new agencies to submit applications for sponsorship to DHS is at least 30 days prior to the anticipated starting date of their summer meal program.

For more information on the Summer Food Service Program please visit our website: http://state.tn.us/humanserv/adfam/afs_cafp.html .  You can also visit the USDA’s website at the following address:  http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Summer/

To learn more about DHS and its programs, visit www.tn.gov/humanserv

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