[OPLINLIST] Libraries and the Summer Food Service Program

Thu Feb 4 08:08:27 EST 2021

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.

The need for this program has never been greater. The pandemic has driven a sharp increase in economic instability and food insecurity. At the same time, many families do not know how to access free meals for their children, or they lack transportation to get to meal distribution sites.

Libraries and SFSP are a great fit!<https://www.cslpreads.org/libraries-and-summer-food/> The library is a known, trusted, accessible community center which is known for giving stuff out for free and has no stigma of "handout" attached to it. Libraries are also justly famous for drop-in enrichment programming, which increases the attractiveness and use of SFSP sites. Even if conditions this summer require "grab-and-go" meal distribution to continue (rather than the usual practice of sit-down meals at sites), libraries can enhance meal distribution with Summer Library Program registration, take-and-make crafts, and other programs to-go.

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 (or have been a site in the past), work with your regular sponsor to prepare for summer 2021. Your sponsor should know all the current waivers and any important SFSP news.

  *   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>. Note: In 2020, the USDA implemented several temporary changes (waivers) to SFSP<https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/covid-19/covid-19-meal-delivery> to facilitate children's access to meals during the public health emergency. Some of these waivers will impact area eligibility at least through June 30, 2021.  More communities are eligible under the waivers. A local SFSP sponsor or the Ohio Department of Education's Office for Integrated Student Supports<http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Student-Supports/Food-and-Nutrition/Summer-Food-Service-Program/Summer-Food-Service-Program-Component> can answer questions about current eligibility.

*       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<https://ohiofoodbanks.org/foodbanks/>. 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 complete 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 ODE asks that potential sponsors/sites complete the survey by February 26.

Expansion of the program is particularly needed in southern Ohio counties, where many families struggle with food insecurity, as well as in rural communities statewide, and areas where migrant families reside.

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.

Sincerely,
Janet

[cid:image001.jpg at 01D6FACC.EA1B7A30]
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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