SUMMER FOOD

SERVICE
PROGRAM
JENNIFER TREUBIG

BRITTANY SMITH

ANDREYNA PINERO
BACKGROUND AND
HISTORY
- In 1946, President Harry Truman signed the National
School Lunch Act. The Special Food Service Program
was signed as an amendment to the NSLA in 1968
with hopes to provide meals for children over the
summer when school was not in session.
◦ Child Care Program
◦ Summer Program

- The two parts obtained their own names in 1975:

◦ The Summer Food Service Program.
◦ Child Care Food Program
DESCRIPTION
• Residential summer camps and sites serving
those who were underprivileged where one
third of the children who qualified for free and
lower priced meals were eligible to participate in
the Summer Food Service Program.
• Federally Funded, state administered Program
• Reimburses sites who serve free meals to
children and teens who are underprivileged.
 POPULATION SERVED
BY THE PROGRAM
◦ Schools
◦ Camps 
◦ Parks 
◦ Playgrounds 
◦ Housing Projects 
◦ Community Centers
◦ Churches
Eligible if:
◦ Sites operate in areas where at least half of the children come from
families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty
level. 
-or-
◦ More than half of the children served by the site meet this income
criterion. 
SUMMARY FROM A PEER-REVIEWED
ARTICLE & POSITION PAPER
◦ While the SFSP did not always leave children better off nutritionally, there were many organizations and policies that
improved this over the years, such as the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. 
◦ There was an increase in the amount allotted for each food group as expressed on page 10. 
◦ The article also analyzed the differences between the year-round school meals and the summer program meals (found
that year-round meals were healthier and had more substance than summer).
◦ Results: While the meals have improved with variety and health benefits over the years, there are still some areas to be
worked on such as “meal quality, dietary intake, and nutritional outcomes,” (Hopkins, 2015).

Hopkins, L., & Gunther, C. (2015). A Historical Review of Changes in Nutrition Standards of USDA Child Meal Programs
Relative to Research Findings on the Nutritional Adequacy of Program Meals and the Diet and Nutritional Health of
Participants: Implications for Future Research and the Summer Food Service Program. Nutrients, 7(12), 10145–10167. doi:
10.3390/nu7125523
 INTERVIEW
INTRODUCTORY
INFORMATION
• Name: Ravi Boze-Adams

• Title: Food Program Director

• Organizational affiliation:
SFSP East Orange.
• Where interview was
conducted: over the phone.
 ◦ Summer Food Service Program works under the sponsorship of the United States
DESCRIPTION OF Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services. It works by providing
children up to 18 years of age with free meals to help fill the gap during the
ORGANIZATION AND ROLE OF summer months.
◦ As a community nutrition professional, which in this case was a Food Program
COMMUNITY NUTRITION Director, she oversees all aspects of the foodservice at the SFSP in the City of
East Orange including administering free and reduced meals to children in
PROFESSIONAL Summer Schools, Day Camps, community non-profit organizations and local
parks.
TRAINING AND
CAREER PATH
◦ Obtained a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics
and Computer Science at the East Carolina
University and moved to Franklinton, North
Carolina after finishing her degree.
◦ A few years later, she moved to New Jersey and
started working as a recreation leader and golf
course account clerk in the City of the East
Orange, becoming more involved with the
community.
◦ Soon after, she obtained a New Jersey Food
Service Management certificate.
◦ 15 hours of training annually in order to become
a Food Service Director.
SUCCESSES
AND
CHALLENGES
◦ Some of the most challenging aspects of
working at the East Orange SFSP is not
being able to provide help to some
families who face food insecurity
because they are not eligible; however, if
they are not eligible to receive free
meals, they can potentially receive a
reduced-price meal.
◦ When it comes to the rewarding aspects
of the program it is heartwarming to see
a family get some type of relief because
their kids won’t be hungry at night
anymore because they could only eat
one meal a day. The SFSP opens your
eyes to reality, specially in East Orange
that is one of the cities with the most food
insecurities in the state of New Jersey.
NEW VENTURES
• When it comes to important priorities for the SFSP in
the City of East Orange, increasing the number of
nutritious meals served to low-income children during

OR FUTURE
the summer months is one of the main goals.
• In addition, they are looking to add new sites and

DIRECTIONS
activities that will expand community outreach.
ADVICE FOR FUTURE
◦ Get involved in the field with professional groups, college groups and/or clubs,
volunteering, etc. It will make you more aware of current situations that we, as
nutrition and health professionals, must deal with, as well as understanding the

COMMUNITY
perspective of the person or household who is facing it.
◦ Have passion and love what you do, if you do not have passion, this field will
become tedious and you will have lack of staying power.

NUTRITIONISTS ◦ You do not have to be an expert in every different field that nutrition has, just find
one that resonates with you and stick with it.
 Gao.gov. (2018). Actions Needed to Improve Participation Estimates and Address Program Challenges. [online]
Available at: https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/692193.pdf [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].

Guthrie, J. and Ralston, K. (2019). USDA ERS - Summer Food Service Program. [online] Ers.usda.gov. Available
at: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/child-nutrition-programs/summer-food-service-
program/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].

Fns.usda.gov. (2019). Summer Food Service Program History | USDA-FNS. [online] Available at:

REFERENCES https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/program-history [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].

Fns.usda.gov. (2019). Summer Food Service Program FAQs | USDA-FNS. [online] Available at:
https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/frequently-asked-questions [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].

Fns.usda.gov. (2019). USDA Explores Cost Effective Ways to Improve Summer Food Access for Kids | USDA-
FNS. [online] Available at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/pressrelease/2014/fns-001114 [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].

K12academics.com. (2019). Legislative History | K12 Academics. [online] Available at:

https://www.k12academics.com/School%20Meal%20Programs/Food%20Programs/Summer%20Food%20Service
%20Program/legislative-history [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].

Nokidhungry.org. (2019). Unmet Need in the Summer Meals Program. [online] Available at:
https://www.nokidhungry.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2015/Summer/Unmet_Need1-15-15.pdf [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].

Usda.gov. (2019). FNS Controls Over Summer Food Service Program. [online] Available at:
https://www.usda.gov/oig/webdocs/27601-0004-41.pdf [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].

Wauchope, B. and Stracuzzi, N. (2010). Challenges in serving rural american Children through the summer Food
service Program. Carsey, [online] (13), pp.1-4. Available at: https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1107&context=carsey [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].

Hopkins, L., & Gunther, C. (2015). A Historical Review of Changes in Nutrition Standards of USDA Child Meal
Programs Relative to Research Findings on the Nutritional Adequacy of Program Meals and the Diet and Nutritional
Health of Participants: Implications for Future Research and the Summer Food Service Program. Nutrients, 7(12),
10145–10167. doi: 10.3390/nu7125523