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Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)

February - 2024

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Division of Finance and Support Services
Child Nutrition Programs
P.O. Box 110500
Juneau, AK 99811

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USDA Policy, Information, and Implementation Memos

Sponsoring organizations and institutions are required by regulation to keep Bulletins, Instructions, and USDA Policy Memorandums for reference and to apply them immediately to the appropriate agency programs. Call Child Nutrition Programs if you need further clarification.

To view the USDA SFSP policy memos, visit: DEED Child Nutrition Programs website or the USDA Policy Memorandum webpage by clicking on the links provided.

Waivers:

All USDA Waivers for the SFSP can be found here.

SFSP 04-2024: Rural Designations in the Summer Meal Programs - Revised.

The purpose of this memorandum is to revise guidance on rural designation in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program's Seamless Summer Option (SSO).

SFSP 06-2024: Interim Final Rule: State agency Monitoring in the Summer Food Service Program.

The purpose of this memorandum is to clarify the new criteria States must consider when determining which SFSP sites require pre-approval visits.

SFSP 07-2024: Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Questions and Answers.

This guidance updates previously issued Questions and Answers to clarify the rural non-congregate summer meals option established through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (the Act) (P.L. 117-328), and codified through the interim final rulemaking (IFR), Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-congregate Option in the Summer Meal Programs (88 FR 90230).

Additional Topics

2024 SFSP Sponsor Training

SFSP regulations require that all sponsors annually attend State Agency training, and also requires that they must train all administrative staff and site staff before they undertake their responsibilities.

In-person training for sponsors will take place at the Atwood Conference Center in Anchorage (Rooms 102/104) on April 4-5, 2024.  Please register here for the training.

If you are unable to make the in-person training, please reach out to the SFSP Specialist.

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, Child Nutrition Programs provides Summer Food Service Program training each spring.

Training registration deadline is March 15, 2024 at 10am AKST.

Food Buying Guide There is a new feature available on the FBG Interactive Web-based Tool. Under the Food Item Details Page users can select the desired Serving Size per Meal Contribution for fruits and vegetables using a drop-down menu to auto-calculate the amount to purchase based on the serving size.  You can download the Food Buying Guide.

Summer Food Program Resources

• USDA's Summer Food Service Page
• USDA's Summer Meals Toolkit
• SFSP Farm to Summer
• USDA TEAM Nutrition - An initiative of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to support the Child Nutrition Programs  through training and technical assistance
• Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) - Provides training opportunities for all Child Nutrition Programs
• SFSP Guidance Handbooks - Guidance for Sponsors, Monitor's, Nutrition Guidance, Site Supervisors
• DEED eLearning Training – For SFSP training, Civil Rights and helpful program trainings.
• Team Nutrition Recipes
• DEED Traditional Foods and Donated Fish and Game Resources
• Food Buying Guide (FBG)
• USDA Food Safety
• USDA Capacity Builder
• USDA Summer Meal Site Finder
• USDA Rural Designation Map
• USDA Area Eligibility Mapper
• Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs
• Team Nutrition Homepage

Contact Us

Program Manager

• Gavin Northey: (907) 465-8708

Program Coordinator (USDA Foods, TEFAP, FFVP)

• Sue Lampert: (907) 465-8710

Program Coordinator (NSLP)

• Tonia Parfitt: (907) 465-3596

Program Coordinator (CACFP)

• Chris Mariano: (907) 465-4788

Grants Administrator

• Carole Baker: (907) 465-2860

Program Specialist (SFSP)

• Shari Taylor: (907) 465-8711

Program Specialist (School Wellness)

• Waverli Stowe: (907) 465-8719

Education Program Associate II (Special Milk Program)

• Debbie Soto: (907) 465-8712

Education Program Assistant (USDA Foods, TEFAP)

• Tony Warren: (907) 465-3629

Education Program Assistant (CACFP & SFSP)

• Jennifer Cherian: (907) 465-4969

Disclaimer

This newsletter contains hyperlinks to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the reader’s convenience. DEED does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Furthermore, the inclusion of links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement (English)

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

1. fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

1. email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.