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PUBLIC AWARENESS PERSPECTIVE
Summer Food Service Programs by Laura J. Bedford It is that time of year when children's thoughts turn to summertime fun—bike riding in their neighborhood, playing softball at their local park, exploring uncharted areas. But for thousands of Illinois children, summertime means hunger because their main source of balanced, nutritious meals are eliminated as schools close for three months. These are meals provided through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. School vacations should not end the availability of meals for children. This realization has led to the implementation of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). The SFSP is a federal entitlement program which provides expense reimbursement to qualified sponsors who provide summer meals in their communities. Summer food programs are conducted by sponsoring organizations that have children and their well-being as a main agenda item. The sponsoring organizations must be a public or non-profit school, public or private non-profit residential summer camp, a unit of local, municipal, county or state government, or a tax-exempt non-profit organization. Potential sponsors must show the necessary fiscal and administrative capabilities to manage the program and must accept final fiscal and administrative responsibility for all sponsored sites. There are two main categories of sites. The open site is a geographical area where at least 50% of the children qualify for free or reduced-priced school meals. An enrolled site is where a geographical determination cannot be made for eligibility but where a sponsor can demonstrate 50% eligibility on an individual basis. The Summer Food Service Program is available to children 18 years old or younger who attend the meal site of an approved sponsor. People over 18 years old who are determined to be mentally or physically disabled or who participate in a public or private non-profit school program during the school year are also eligible for SFSP. In 1992 there were 62 SFSP sponsors in the state of Illinois, compared to 309 school breakfast sponsors and 1,219 school lunch sponsors during the previous school year. This means there are thousands of children who are not receiving meals during the summer that received meals during the school year. Of those 62 SFSP sponsors last year, two were park districts and one was a recreation department: Harvey Park District, Dixmoor Park District and Decatur Recreation Department. According to the Illinois Hunger Coalition, several more park districts have expressed interest in sponsoring a program and are being considered. To become a sponsor, planning must begin early. In Illinois, outreach workshops for potential sponsors generally begin in January and mandatory training sessions are held in March. Potential sponsors receive all application materials at these training workshops. Organizations wishing to be sponsors must submit their applications for the summer by June 15, which is the latest deadline allowed by federal guidelines. Earlier submission is preferred. SFSP sponsors can receive operating and administrative monies for expenses incurred. Operating expenses are costs incurred by the sponsor for activities related to preparation, clean-up and service of meals. Administrative expenses are costs incurred by the sponsor for activities related to planning, organizing and administering the program. The amount of operating reimbursement is calculated by comparing the total operating reimbursements allowed with the actual program costs incurred. The lesser of the two figures will be reimbursed. The amount of administrative reimbursement is calculated by comparing the total administrative reimbursements allowed, the actual administrative costs and the approved budget amount. The lesser of these three figures are reimbursed. A sponsor's total reimbursement is the combination of the two calculated amounts. According to Jeffrey Bissonnette, the Director of Operations for the Illinois Hunger Coalition, additional SFSP sponsors are needed. Park districts and recreation departments are excellent candidates, and the Illinois Hunger Coalition will provide the technical assistance needed to implement the program. For further information, contact the Illinois Hunger Coalition, 516 East Monroe Street, Suite #601, Springfield, IL 62701, 1-800-359-2163. About the Author Laura J. Bedford is the Director of Communications for the Illinois Association of Park Districts.
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