- Important Dates and Deadlines
- Memos
- FY 2025 Renewals Open April 1, 2025
- Completing Your SFSP Annual Training
- Updated Free and Reduced Price Eligibility List Now Available
- Rural Summer Meal Preference Form
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No Kid Hungry's Free Meal Finder is Closing - repeat article
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Startup and Expansion Grant - Closing Soon! - repeat article
- The Latest Farm to School Podcast is Live!
- Community Team Spotlight: Ashlie Eakins
- Contact Us
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March 31, 2025: Deadline for Startup and Expansion Grant (see Startup and Expansion Grant - Closing Soon!)
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April 1, 2025: SFSP Renewal Applications Open
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April 18, 2025: SFSP Renewal Applications Deadline
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Check out the SFSP Memo Page for a list of all memos and announcements.
It's no joke! SFSP Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Renewals will open on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 and must be completed by Friday, April 18, 2025.
On March 18, 2025, ODE CNP sent the Authorized Representative and Food Program Coordinator listed in FY 2024's CNPweb Sponsor Information Sheet renewal letters via e-mail. The letters listed renewal requirements, including annual training requirements. Letters for School Food Authorities (SFA) and Community-based sponsors are also listed in the Memo section above.
Sponsors must complete all SFSP Annual Training requirements in order to complete SFSP FY 2025 renewal. Those who fail to complete all training requirements may be determined to be seriously deficient. For more details, see the 'Completing Your SFSP Annual Training' article below.
If any of the Responsible Principals listed in the Sponsor Information Sheet have changed, sponsor staff must update the application and provide the most current information.
Don't delay! Since the renewal period is short, sponsors are encouraged to start on and complete the applications as soon as April 1, 2025 with the most accurate information available, even if there might be changes or additional sites added down the line. Sponsors can add new sites even after applications are approved and sponsors can update their applications at any time as long as all updates are reflected in the approved application prior to implementation.
Questions? Please reach out to your assigned Child Nutrition Specialist.
Annual trainings are a requirement for all SFSP sponsors per 7 CFR 225.7(a). Each year, ODE CNP releases training requirements in March and all sponsors must complete all required training before their SFSP Renewals can be approved by ODE CNP.
Here are the basics of your SFSP Annual Training Requirements:
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Who: The Food Program Coordinator must take the training
- New Authorized Representatives are also required to complete trainings
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When: All trainings are due by April 18, 2025
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Where: Trainings are available on the SFSP Training page.
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What: Trainings consist of two parts
Trainings will be tracked through the completion of the quizzes and Food Program Coordinators and Authorized Representatives must save their quiz results verifying that quizzes are completed. Quiz responses will be sent via email after completion. ODE CNP will be tracking the completion of the quizzes automatically through the Google Forms, but may request copies of the email if there is a discrepancy in tracking.
Questions? Reach out to your assigned Child Nutrition Specialist.
The updated Free and Reduced Price Eligibility List (Excel) is now available! This list is used for open, restricted open, and closed enrolled sites that meet Site Eligibility Requirements through area eligibility. The list is valid from March 1, 2025 through February 28, 2026.
Area eligibility allows sites within the school boundaries of schools with equal or greater than 50% Free and Reduced Price-eligible students to serve as an open, restricted open, or closed enrolled site under SFSP. Once established, the duration of the site eligibility is five years.
Sponsors who are starting new sites this summer or need to re-qualify current sites are encouraged to review the Free and Reduced Price Eligibility List during the early stages of planning for SFSP. It is important to note that although a school operates the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) it may not automatically qualify to operate as a summer meal site. Free and Reduced-Price (F/RP) Eligibility Data is based on the school's individual data. This means that if the school is grouped with other schools to qualify for the CEP, it may not qualify on its own. This makes it doubly important that the Free and Reduced-Price Eligibility List is checked.
As a reminder, if a school or site does not qualify based on school data, census data showing the site is in an area that meets the 50% mark may still be used to qualify the site. Sponsors can elect to use census data available from the FNS Area Eligibility Map or the FRAC Map. Resources are linked from the ODE CNP Summer Meals Page under the 'Determining Program Eligibility' section. Additional information on determining site eligibility can be found in the SFSP Basics: Site Eligibility and Documentation training.
ODE CNP has developed a form to help sponsors collect and analyze family preference information on summer meals in rural areas. The form enables sponsors to gain better insights into family preferences for meal service, including the type of non-congregate meal method preferred. Sponsors can consider this information when developing summer meal plans based on actual family needs rather than assumptions.
Below is a sample blurb with a link to the form that can be shared in newsletters and/ or posted on family communication platforms. Note that respondents will indicate on the form which school district their child(ren) attend(s). ODE CNP will share information collected with participating sponsors and, upon request, community sponsors. This will enable sponsors to better understand and serve their communities. ODE CNP is not sharing this form outside of the SFSP Corner and it is up to individual sponsors whether they would like to share this form.
Responses received from families will be sent to applicable sponsors in mid-April, end of April, and early-to-mid May. As a reminder, approved renewals can be updated and re-approved as circumstances change. Please contact Cathy Brock at cathy.brock@ode.oregon.gov regarding this form.
Help Shape Our Summer Meal Services: Share Your Family Preferences
We're excited to better understand what matters most to the families we serve summer meals to. ODE Child Nutrition Programs has created a simple, user-friendly form to collect your preferences and priorities regarding summer meals.
By taking a few minutes to share your input, you'll help us make more informed decisions about how we design our summer meal programs to meet your actual needs.
Summer Meals in Rural Area Access Form
Your responses will be confidential, and the compiled data will be considered as we develop our summer meal plans. Thank you for helping us better serve you and your family!
This is a repeat article from the last newsletter.
In the summer of 2025, No Kid Hungry’s Free Meal Finder will no longer be operating. This include the 304-304 texting line, WhatsApp service, and online map. Sponsors must remove any signage that refers families to utilize the 304-304 number and Free Meal Finder map.
Sponsors with banners listing the 304-304 number must cover the number or stop using the banner.
There are several resources available to help promote the Summer Meals programs this year. We encourage you to utilize the following resources to connect families with meal sites in their area.
Families can still connect to a nearby site if they call 211.
USDA’s Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder website shows open meal sites across the nation with non-congregate and congregate designations. The USDA National Hunger Hotline is operated by Hunger Free America and can be reached Monday-Friday between 8 am -8 pm ET
- 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) English
- 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) Spanish
- Text “Food” or “SFSP” to 914-342-7744.
- Texting service is automated and available 24/7.
This is a repeat article from the last newsletter.
There are still Startup and Expansion Grant Funds available until March 31, 2025.
If your organization is looking to expand summer meals through operating more sites, offering enrichment, or offering non-congregate meals in a rural area, please consider applying. Applicants may be awarded up to $20,000 each biennium for grant related activities.
Please submit any questions regarding the to the Startup and Expansion Grant Question Form. For more information and the link to apply for the grant, please visit the Special Grant Webpage.
Student Ecoliteracy: The Publisher
Our last episode was coined "Student Ecoliteracy, The Author" which explored Katherine Pryor's journey of writing children's books about nature and garden subjects. In this companion episode, we talk to Katherine's first publisher, Philip Lee of Readers to Eaters. They specialize in publishing kids’ books about nutrition and school gardens!
You can listen to the episode here: Student Ecoliteracy: The Publisher
Also available on approximately 30 platforms. Simply search for “Farm to School Podcast.”
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Get to know the ODE CNP Community Team! Every month, the CACFP and SFSP newsletter will be highlighting a member of Community Team.
Meet Ashlie Eakins!
Ashlie has been on the Community Team as a Program Analyst since March 2023. Ashlie received her degree in Kinesiology from Oregon State University. As a program analyst, she enjoys supporting sponsors with questions, as well as new CACFP and SFSP applicants with the application process. Ashlie frequently assists specialists on administrative reviews and finds value in seeing each of the different programs Sponsors operate throughout Oregon.
In her spare time, Ashlie can be found chasing around her one year old and spending time with family. She enjoys trying new restaurants, hiking, and spending time at the beach when Oregon weather cooperates.
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 Meghan Tschida, Community Team Manager
Deanna (DeDe) Poynor, Child Nutrition Specialist, Team Lead
Robin Ashton, Child Nutrition Specialist
Cathy Brock, Child Nutrition Specialist, Summer Food Service Program Outreach Coordinator
Sarah English, Child Nutrition Specialist
Eliza Kondo, Child Nutrition Specialist
Kaitlin Skreen, Child Nutrition Specialist
Shannon Smith, Child Nutrition Specialist
Shirley Wu, Child Nutrition Specialist, Technical Assistance Coordinator
Teresa Murray, Fiscal & Audit Analyst
Emma Ahern, Program Analyst 1
Ashlie Eakins, Program Analyst 1
Community Nutrition Emailbox
Visit us on the web ODE SFSP
Subscribe to this newsletter: SFSP Newsletter Subscription
Civil Rights
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 USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.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 Complaint form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
- mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
- fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
- email:
program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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