[OPLINLIST] Libraries and the Summer Food Service Program

[jdwyer at library.ohio.gov]

Cross-posted. Please excuse duplication.

Many libraries in Ohio and around the USA participate in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), a USDA-funded program that provides free meals and snacks to children ages 0-18 in communities with high levels of need.

Libraries and SFSP are a great fit!<https://www.cslpreads.org/libraries-and-summer-food/> Libraries are free and open to all, welcome children and teens, offer engaging programs, and, in many cases, have a community meeting room or other interior space where food may be served. And, SFSP is good for the library too. Besides the obvious benefits of addressing hunger and supporting vulnerable youth, participation benefits libraries through:

*        Access to new user groups, especially underserved and marginalized populations;

*        Increased visibility of the library as a community asset;

*        Opportunities for new partnerships;

*        Positioning of the library as an important stakeholder in community well-being and positive child outcomes;

*       Support for summer library programming through increased attendance.

Interested?


?  If you are already an SFSP site, work with your current sponsor to prepare for summer 2020. No special action required.


?  If you want to become an SFSP site, first find out if you are in an eligible area. Eligibility is based on the economic conditions of a geographic area, measured by school data or census data. Use the USDA's Capacity Builder Map to see if you are in an eligible area: www.fns.usda.gov/capacitybuilder<http://www.fns.usda.gov/capacitybuilder>


*        If you are not in an eligible area, see the Libraries and Summer Food<https://www.cslpreads.org/libraries-and-summer-food/#alternatives> guide (below) for alternatives to SFSP and other ways to help.


*        If you are in an eligible area, identify and contact a local sponsor* about becoming a site. If you do not know what organization sponsors the SFSP in your area, contact an existing SFSP site in the community to ask what organization sponsors their participation.


*        If there is no sponsor in your area to ask, you might try contacting your school district administrative offices, to discuss the possibility of their becoming an SFSP sponsor and using your library as a site. Or contact the food bank that serves your area. Or contact the Children's Hunger Alliance<https://childrenshungeralliance.org/provider-services/summer-programs/contact-summer-programs/>, which can serve as an SFSP sponsor in all 88 Ohio counties for distribution of shelf-stable meals and snacks that meet nutrition guidelines. You may also consider completing the Ohio Department of Education's Potential Sponsor Survey<http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Student-Supports/Food-and-Nutrition/Summer-Food-Service-Program/2013-Summer-Food-Service-Program-Potential-Sponsor>, especially if you are willing to consider being your own SFSP sponsor*. The ODE administers the SFSP statewide, and identifies new sponsors and sites through this survey.

The Collaborative Summer Library Program offers a thorough, clear how-to guide for libraries: Libraries and Summer Food<https://www.cslpreads.org/libraries-and-summer-food/> provides a step-by-step for libraries interested in becoming SFSP sites, or otherwise getting involved in addressing child food insecurity during the summer. It can be used by libraries in any state. It shows how to use the USDA Capacity Builder map to find out if your library is in an SFSP-eligible area, how to take the first steps toward becoming a site, and what to do if your library is not in an eligible area but still wants to help. It also includes lots of advice, tips, and resources for having a successful summer as a feeding site. Here is the direct link: www.cslpreads.org/libraries-and-summer-food<http://www.cslpreads.org/libraries-and-summer-food>.

The State Library also offers a basic guide for Ohio libraries: library.ohio.gov/summer-food<https://library.ohio.gov/summer-food>.

*Finally, a note about SFSP sites and sponsors.

  *   Sites are the locations where meals/snacks are served. Nearly all participating libraries are sites and not sponsors.
  *   Sponsors handle the financial, administrative and food service responsibilities for SFSP in an area. Sponsors may contract with food service providers and do not have to prepare the food themselves. Sponsors are reimbursed for all expenses by the USDA. A few libraries are sponsors as well as sites.

Best,
Janet

[cid:image003.jpg at 01D5E009.FB8DF650]
Janet Ingraham Dwyer
Library Consultant
274 E. 1st Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201
Tel: 614-644-6910
jdwyer at library.ohio.gov<mailto:jdwyer at library.ohio.gov>
library.ohio.gov<http://library.ohio.gov/>
library.ohio.gov/youth-services<http://library.ohio.gov/youth-services>

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