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Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)

April - 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 08-2024 - Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Questions and Answers #2

This memorandum is the second set of questions and answers on 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), Implementing Provisions from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023: Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-congregate Option in the Summer Meal Programs (88 FR 90230).

Additional Topics

2024 Intent to Operate - Deadline April 15 The Intent to Operate form is available in online form.  Please fill out one Intent to Operate form per site.  The form can be found here.  Intent to Operate should be submitted as soon as possible. Deadline for submission of Intent to Operate forms is April 15, 2024.

SFSP CNP Web CNP Web is not currently open for SFSP applications.  Updates were required with the rule changes and are not ready at this time.  We will send out a notice once CNP Web is available for 2024 SFSP Applications.

2024 Online 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. For those that could not attend our in-person training, online training is now available.  Please complete the following sections on the DEED eLearning website: SFSP Administration Basics SFSP Operations Basics Procurement Training - Informal USDA Civil Rights Requirements and Child Nutrition Programs The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, Child Nutrition Programs provides Summer Food Service Program training each spring. In addition to the online training, you will be required to attend a live webinar.  Please have all online modules completed prior to the webinar. Date/time for webinar: April 17, 2024, 1:30pm - 3:00pm Additional dates will be added as needed. Please contact the SFSP Specialist to sign up for the webinar.

Request for Comments:  Proposed Rule on Serious Deficiency Process in CACFP & SFSP

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is still receiving comments on the Proposed Rule entitled "Serious Deficiency Process in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)” in the Federal Register. These changes aim to improve consistency in the serious deficiency process within and across States and strengthen program integrity. The proposed rule can be viewed here: Federal Register Notice  Written comments must be received on or before May 21, 2024, to be assured of consideration. Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Mail: Send comments to: Navneet Kaur Sandhu, Program Integrity and Innovation Division, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314. USDA will make the written comments publicly available on the internet via https://www.regulations.gov.

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

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.

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 Coordinator (School Wellness)

• Waverli Stowe: (907) 465-8719

Program Specialist (SFSP)

• Shari Taylor: (907) 465-8711

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.