USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Summer Food Service Program Outreach Materials

1. USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)Summer Food Service Program Outreach Materials Summer Food Summit Tinley Park Convention Center Tinley Park, Illinois November 8, 2012 The United States Departmentof Agriculture is an equal opportunity provider and employer

2. Publicizing Summer Meals Information on meal service at SFSP open sites must be publicized in the community served; School Food Authorities (SFAs) applying to participate in the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) must describe how each site will advertise the availability of meal services to the children in the community. Outreach is important to make your feeding site successful. The more people who know about the Program, the more children who will come to your site for a meal.

3. Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2010Outreach to Households on Availability of Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Meals • The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act 2010 (the Act), Public Law 111-296 establishes requirements for conducting outreach to households on the availability of SFSP Meals. Effective as of October 1, 2010. • Schools must conduct outreach on the availability of the SFSP before the end of the school year; • School Food Authority (SFA) can distribute information to households such as location of nearby SFSP meal sites, times of service, and SFSP sponsor contact information. • SFA may distribute the information through means normally used to communicate with the households of enrolled children.

5. USDA FNS Public Website SFSP Outreach Resources • Main SFSP Outreach Page on FNS Public Website– http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm • A Guide to Starting SFSP– Click the link on the webpage at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm • Introductory SFSP Webinars - Click the link on the webpage at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm • National Hunger Hotline– 1-866-3-Hungry and 1-877-8-Hambre. Click the link on the webpage at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm to register your open site. If a sponsor has many sites, please download and fill out template with list of open feeding sites and email to: nhc@whyhunger.org

6. USDA FNS Public Website SFSP Outreach Resources (continued) Main SFSP Outreach Page on FNS Public Website – http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm Door hangers in English and Spanish– Click the link on the webpage at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm Flyers in English and Spanish – Click the link on the webpage at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm Post Volunteer Opportunities– Click the link to Serve.gov (Corporation for National & Community Service) on the webpage at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm

7. USDA FNS Public WebsiteSFSP Outreach Resources (continued) • Main SFSP Outreach Page on FNS Public Website – http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm • ToolKit for Sponsors and Feeding Sites – Click the link on the webpage at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm or go to the web address on the next slide. • SFSP Radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs) Transcripts – Click the link on the webpage at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/Outreach.htm

8. USDA Food and Nutrition ServiceSummer Food Service Program Outreach Toolkit for Sponsors and Feeding Sites • Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Public Website • Outreach ToolKit available in English and Spanish @ http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/library/toolkit.pdf • What is Outreach? • Outreach to Families and Children • Outreach to Media • Templates for news releases to newspapers, TV and Radio • Outreach to Community Organizations

18. Summer Meals Focus Group Findings Share Our Strength (SOS) commissioned a research firm, Global Strategy Group, to conduct focus groups with low-income parents in three States on Summer Meal Programs. Website: http://bestpractices.nokidhungry.org/summer-meals/summer-meals-focus-group-findings to access findings from focus groups which include findings concerning outreach materials. Several of the Key Findings: Awareness of free summer meals is low, but interest is high. Perceived benefits of Summer Meal Programs include free food and free activities in a safe environment. Barriers to participation include transportation, questions about safety and legitimacy of the sites, food quality, availability of activities and availability of meals for parents.

19. Best Practices – FNS Public Website at:http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/states/best_practices.html Activities Meal Service Program Access Sponsor Retention Special Populations State Agency Achievement

20. Other Federal Resources • Administration for Children and Families -http://www.acf.hhs.gov/ type the following into the “Search” field:“A Guide to Resources and Funding for Community and Faith-based Organizations” • Collaboration of USDA and Partnership for Sustainable Communities (interagency partnership of HUD, DOT, and EPA), published “Federal Resources for Sustainable Rural Communities” - http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/RD_FedResourcesSustainableCommunities.pdf • Grants.gov – Federal website that centralizes and streamlines the process of applying for grant programs through the 26 Federal grant-making agencies.