[SEO-Members] Libraries and the Summer Food Service Program (SUN Meals/SFSP): 2026 update

Tue Feb 24 08:15:03 EST 2026

Cross-posted. Please excuse duplication.

Does your library serve summer meals or snacks, or are you interested in being a meal site or supporting other meal sites in your area? 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, now branded as SUN Meals), a USDA-funded program that provides free meals and snacks to children ages 0-18 in communities with high levels of need.

In summer 2025, 176 Ohio library locations served as SUN Meals sites.

  *   This is up from 152 library sites in 2024 and is the highest-ever number of Ohio library sites participating in SFSP.
  *   12.3% of all Ohio SFSP sites in 2025 were library sites. This is the highest-ever proportion of libraries to all other sites.
  *   This was the 5th summer that at least 1 out of every 10 SFSP sites in Ohio was a public library.

Libraries and SUN Meals are a great fit.<https://www.cslpreads.org/libraries-and-summer-food/> The library is a trusted, accessible community center and very well experienced in providing free services. Participation gives libraries access to new user groups, especially underserved and marginalized populations; increased visibility of the library as a community asset; and opportunities for new partnerships. And you get to feed hungry kids!

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Interested in serving summer meals or snacks in 2026?

  *   If you are already a SUN Meals site (or have been a site in the past), work with your regular sponsor to prepare for summer 2026. If your location is designated rural by the USDA**, ask your sponsor about the SUN Meals To-Go non-congregate option.

  *   If you want to become a SUN Meals 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<http://www.fns.usda.gov/capacitybuilder> to see if you are in an eligible area. When the map loads, scroll down and select "FY2026 FNS SFSP CACFP Eligibility." Alternately, check your eligibility using the No Kid Hungry Summer Eligibility Map.<https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/Summer-Meals-Eligibility-Map>
?  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 contact your school district administrative office, 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/summer/>, 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 and Workforce (ODEW) Potential Sponsor Survey<http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Student-Supports/Food-and-Nutrition/Summer-Food-Service-Program/2013-Summer-Food-Service-Program-Potential-Sponsor>. The ODEW administers the SFSP statewide and identifies new sponsors and sites through this survey. You can complete the survey to make your interest known to the ODEW even if you want to be a site and not a sponsor*.

* 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 receive reimbursement for expenses through federal USDA funds administered by the ODEW.  A few libraries are sponsors as well as sites.

** SUN Meals sites in low-income rural areas can distribute meals and snacks for offsite consumption (grab-and-go). This service model, called SUN Meals To-Go, is intended to reduce barriers for children, teens, and families in rural areas to access healthy meals and snacks. The USDA uses a broad definition of rural; some cities defined as rural for this purpose income all of Athens, Zanesville, Chillicothe, Wooster, Marion, Findlay, Wilmington, and Portsmouth (not a comprehensive list). Not all areas designated rural are SFSP-eligible; there remains an area income eligibility requirement. Look up your locations on the USDA rural designation page<https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/rural-designation> and see the rural definition overlaid with area eligibility on the No Kid Hungry Summer Eligibility Map.<https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/Summer-Meals-Eligibility-Map>

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For further information, No Kid Hungry<https://www.nokidhungry.org/>'s Center for Best Practices<https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/> offers a Summer and Afterschool Meals resource just for libraries<https://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/programs/summer-and-afterschool-meals-libraries>. This webpage houses information for libraries nationwide on SFSP and the Child and Adult Care Food Program At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program (CACFP At-Risk, or Afterschool Meals). Planning and implementation resources are also available, along with training opportunities.

The No Kid Hungry resource aligns with and links to the Collaborative Summer Library Program's Libraries & Summer Food<https://www.cslpreads.org/libraries-and-summer-food/> how-to guide, which is a thorough, clear step-by-step guide for libraries wishing to participate in or support summer meals.

Also, the State Library's SUN Meals webpage<https://library.ohio.gov/libraries/library-programs-and-development/summer-food-service/summer-food-service> provides guidance for Ohio libraries and a collection of Ohio-specific links, instructions, and ideas.

Thank you for all you do to support the children and families in your community. Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions or for assistance.

Sincerely,
Janet

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Janet Ingraham Dwyer
Youth Services Library Consultant
Library Programs & Development
State Library of Ohio
274 E. 1st Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201
614.644.6910
jdwyer at library.ohio.gov<mailto:jdwyer at library.ohio.gov>
library.ohio.gov<https://library.ohio.gov/>

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