Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is recruiting more centers and organizations to serve their communities as sponsors of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
The federally funded program is serving a valuable role during the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic helping support the nutritional needs of a growing number of adults and children.
This need is expected to continue into next year when new sponsors will begin providing meals.
Potential CACFP sponsors include:
- Licensed child care centers.
- Head Start programs.
- Emergency shelters providing residential and food services to children.
- Family child care homes.
- After-school programs.
- Adult day care centers.
The CACFP provides meals to children and adults who meet age and income requirements. TDHS administers the program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reimburse sponsoring organizations for meals that meet or exceed federal nutrition standards. Meals are available to all eligible participants without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.
All meals are available at no charge. Foster children or children who are part of a household receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) assistance or a Head Start participant are automatically eligible to receive free meal benefits.
Adult participants who are members of SNAP or FDPIR households or adults who are SSI or Medicaid participants are also automatically eligible to receive free meal benefits.
Agencies that are interested in CACFP are encouraged to send an email to CACFP.DHS@tn.gov or call 615.313.4749. A list of current CACFP providers is available online. Applications must be approved prior to beginning operation and are accepted on an ongoing basis.
Below are the current Income Eligibility Guidelines used in determining a participant’s eligibility for free or reduced-price meals.
[Per meal rates in whole or fractions of U.S. dollars, effective from July 1st, 2020–June 30th, 2021]
1 These rates do not include the value of USDA Foods or cash-in-lieu of USDA Foods which institutions receive as additional assistance for served to participants. A notice announcing the value of USDA Foods and cash-in-lieu of USDA Foods is pub-the Federal Register.
Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call 866.632.9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: 202.690.7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
To learn more about the CACFP visit https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/children/dhs-nutrition-programs/child-and-adult-care-food-program.html.
