State Education Department Announces 2018 Summer Food Service Program Available to New York Children at More Than 3,000 Sites Statewide

Free meals will be available for children and teens across New York at more than 3,000 Summer Food Service Program sites, State Education Department Commissioner MaryEllen Elia announced today. Approximately 400,000 free meals will be served daily to children. The interactive USDA online map helps families find a service site by address, city or zip code.

“Summer meals are critical to thousands of New York children who might otherwise go hungry during summer break, when they no longer have access to breakfast and lunch served at school,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “Summer food programs positively impact children’s growth and development by offering nutritious meals and encouraging children to develop healthy habits at a young age.”

“High quality summer meals provide daily energy and help make sure children are healthy and ready to learn when they return to school in the fall,” Commissioner Elia said. “We work closely with the USDA to administer this incredibly important program, to help make sure that our students don’t go hungry during the summer.”

Fast Facts:

• About 400,000 free meals are served daily to New York State children through the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program, which is underway throughout New York State through September 3, 2018.
• Statewide, there are 360 organizations serving nutritious meals every day.
• There are approximately 3,000 SFSP feeding sites throughout the State.
• It is anticipated more than 20 million nutritious meals total will be served to New York children this summer.

The Summer Food Service Program was established to ensure that low-income children, 18 and younger, continue to receive nutritious meals when schools are not in session. USDA Food and Nutrition Service administers the Summer Food Service Program at the national level and the New York State Education Department administers it at the state level.

The majority of New York sponsors begin operating Summer Food Service Programs on July 5, 2018. There are a number of tools available to help find the site nearest you:

• USDA Online Map
• Text: Text “Food or “Comida” to 877-877
• Call:
• USDA National Hunger Hotline 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-3-HAMBRE
• 211 in New York State
• 311 in New York City

For more information on NYSED administration of the Summer Food Service Program, visit our website.

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