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Summer Meals


Healthier Foods, Healthier Minds

April 25, 2024 Cindy Long, Administrator, USDA Food and Nutrition Service

Setting kids up for success. It’s what every parent, guardian, and educator wants for our nation’s schoolchildren. They understand the power that small changes have to make a big difference in the learning environment. That’s why here at USDA, we recently announced a generational investment in our...

Food and Nutrition Health and Safety Nutrition Security

Turnip the Beet on Summer Meals

March 22, 2024 Tanuja Kulkarni, MS MPH RDN, Nutritionist, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Child Nutrition Programs

It’s award season! USDA is excited to highlight summer meal sponsors who go above and beyond to ensure children receive nutritious, appetizing meals.

Food and Nutrition Nutrition Security Equity

USDA Celebrates 2022 Summer Meals Champions and Looks Ahead to Summer 2023

February 28, 2023 Tony Craddock, Jr., Public Affairs Specialist, Food and Nutrition Service

Millions of children face a risk of hunger during the summer months when they no longer have access to school meals. USDA’s summer meal programs – the Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option – reduce food and nutrition insecurity and help ensure kids are healthy and ready to learn...

Food and Nutrition Nutrition Security Rural

USDA is Moving Quickly to Reduce Childhood Hunger in the Summer

July 08, 2022 Stacy Dean, Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services

School meals are foundational to the health and nutrition for millions of our nation’s children.

Equity Nutrition Security Food and Nutrition

Innovation and Collaboration Bring Summer Meals to Children in Rural Texas

August 15, 2019 Brandon Lipps, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services

Children’s nutritional needs do not take a summer break. This summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service partnered with the Texas Department of Agriculture and Baylor University’s Texas Hunger Initiative to help keep Texas children in several low-income rural areas...

Food and Nutrition

Across the Country, USDA Kicks Off Summer Meals

June 26, 2019 Andrea Farmer, USDA FNS

The school year is out and summer meals are in! Around the country, places like schools, recreation centers, parks, churches, and libraries are serving free, nutritious summer meals to kids up to 18 years old through USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

Food and Nutrition

FNS Fills the Summer Meal Gap in Rural Areas

June 21, 2019 FNCS Acting Deputy Under Secretary Brandon Lipps

Most kids look forward to the end of school and the start of summer vacation, but for some it can also mean the loss of the regular meals they rely on during the school year.

Food and Nutrition

Just-Announced ‘Turnip the Beet’ Awards Recognize High-Quality Summer Meals

June 18, 2019 Veniqua Stewart and Rachel Polon, USDA Food and Nutrition Service

As school years draw to a close and summer breaks begin, USDA is pleased to announce the third annual Turnip the Beet awardees. These awards recognize outstanding summer meal program sponsors who distinguished themselves with high quality meals that are appetizing, appealing, and wholesome.

Food and Nutrition

FNS Provides Tools to Support Safe Summer Meals

June 11, 2018 Tina Hanes, RD RN, Senior Food Safety Specialist, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)

As the school year ends across the country and summer approaches, summer meals are critical in the lives of millions of our nation’s youth, whose risk for food insecurity increases during the summer months when they no longer have access to the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs...

Food and Nutrition Health and Safety

‘Turnip the Beet’ Recognizes High-Quality Summer Meals for our Nation’s Kids

April 20, 2018 Cindy Long, Deputy Administrator for Child Nutrition Program, Food and Nutrition Service

There are millions of America’s youth who do not have access to nutritious meals when school is not in session. Offering nutritious meals to our nation’s children and teens that are appetizing, appealing and wholesome is a responsibility USDA takes very seriously.

Food and Nutrition
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