[OPLINLIST] Libraries and the Summer Food Service Program: 2022 update

[jdwyer at library.ohio.gov]

Cross-posted. Please excuse duplication.

Does your library serve summer meals/snacks, or are you interested in being a meal site or supporting other meal sites in your area?

Read on for some basics about the USDA Summer Food Service Program and how libraries can participate, and an important update on regulations that impact how summer meals are distributed. Briefly, the waivers that granted the USDA flexibility to expand the program and ease requirements on meal distribution during the pandemic are set to expire on June 30. If you want to learn more, No Kid Hungry is offering a free webinar this week:
School's Out, Food's In: Planning for Summer - Operation Strategies Without Waivers
Wednesday, March 30, 3:00-4:00 pm
Register here<http://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/webinars/schools-out-foods-planning-summer-operation-strategies-without-waivers>.

**********

Many libraries in Ohio and around the USA participate in the Summer Food Service Program<https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/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 remains great. The pandemic has driven significant increases in economic instability<https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/household-pulse-survey/data.html> and<https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/childrens-food-insecurity-increasing-during-covid-19-pandemic/> food<https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-021-00732-2> insecurity<https://www.feedingamerica.org/research/coronavirus-hunger-research>.

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.

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 2022.


  *   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>. When the map loads, scroll down and select "FY2022 SFSP CACFP 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 SFSP sponsor* about becoming a site. The USDA Capacity Builder map can show you existing sites and their sponsors. I can also help you identify existing sponsors in your area, so feel welcome to email me<mailto:jdwyer at library.ohio.gov?subject=Summer%20Food%20Service%20Program>.


*       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.



*       * A note about SFSP sites and sponsors:

     *   Sites are the locations where meals/snacks are served. Nearly all participating libraries are sites (not sponsors), or partner to bring enrichment activities to an existing site.
     *   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.

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. This guide, 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.

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

Regulatory Update (courtesy of No Kid Hungry<http://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/programs/summer-meals>)
Congress did not extend the USDA's authority to issue nationwide child nutrition waivers past the 2021-22 school year. Without this Congressional authority, the USDA's ability to offer flexibility is limited.

As of now, aside from on-site monitoring waivers, all nationwide waivers related to SFSP expire on June 30, 2022. The USDA does not have authority to extend or issue nationwide waivers beyond June 30. Relevant waivers set to expire on June 30 include:

  *   Increased community eligibility (without the waivers, only sites located in areas where at least 50% of children are eligible for free/reduced price school meals are eligible to be SFSP/CACFP sites)
  *   Take-home meals and delivered meals (i.e. not eaten on site)
  *   Parents or guardians permitted to pick up meals without children present.
  *   Multiple days' worth of meals permitted to be picked up at once.

As of now, CACFP At-risk Afterschool Meals<https://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/afterschool-programs> sites will also need to return to operating without waivers beginning July 1, 2022.

At this time, No Kid Hungry encourages libraries and other SFSP and CACFP sites and sponsors to plan as if waivers will not be available for this summer or next school year.


Strategies for Action (compiled by No Kid Hungry)
Libraries offer a unique benefit to the community and to the SFSP/CACFP programs. Strategies can be taken to leverage these strengths to increase access to meals for kids and teens in the community.
Collaboration

  *   Create a team or task force to strategize and plan for summer food access in your community. Seek expertise from local schools, elected officials, and other youth-serving organizations.
  *   Contact your local school to see how you might collaborate. Some schools have full or part-time social workers that could be a great resource.
  *   Work with your local youth-serving organizations to coordinate efforts.

There will be additional barriers and challenges this year, but libraries can act and partner to overcome them.

Congregate Feeding

  *   The congregate feeding requirement means that many families may struggle with transportation to meal sites. Consider partnering with local transportation agencies (if available) to provide free bus passes to students. No public transportation? Work with your local school or bus agency to see if they'd be willing to set up a summer bus route to the library.
  *   Offer library services on mobile meal routes offered by other summer food programs.
  *   Offering activities is a great way to draw and engage kids and teens at meal sites, and libraries offer expertise and unique strengths in programming.

Area Eligibility

  *   Many sites this year will not be eligible to participate as an open summer meal site due to area eligibility. See if your site qualifies<https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/Averaged-Eligibility-Map>.
  *   If you are not eligible for SFSP, libraries can still offer meals and groceries to community members. Consider opening a Little Free Pantry<https://letsmovelibraries.org/library-pantries-feed-communities/> or partnering with a regional food bank. The dollar goes farther at a food bank than at a grocery store.
  *   There might be an open site close to your library. Consider promoting the meal site to patrons visiting the library.

Staffing and Funding Resources

  *   Consider volunteers or AmeriCorps VISTA<https://americorps.gov/serve/fit-finder/americorps-vista> members for future years
  *   Work with the faith-based community. If your region has a pastoral association and/or churches active in your community, they may be willing to help fund programs and to provide volunteers.
  *   Seek out grant opportunities, local funding, and partnerships.

  *   Consider whether you can fund meals/snacks yourself through library budget and donations (example from Kansas<https://youtu.be/O2Nio9R4QRw>)


Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions.

Sincerely,
Janet

[cid:image001.jpg at 01D83F9F.57410AE0]
Janet Ingraham Dwyer (she/her)
Library Consultant
614-644-6910
jdwyer at library.ohio.gov<mailto:jdwyer at library.ohio.gov>
library.ohio.gov/youth-services<http://library.ohio.gov/youth-services>

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