The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is providing another resource to help communities bounce back from the pandemic with the launch of this year’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). The goal of the Summer Food Service Program is to ensure children 18 and younger, who benefit from meal programs at school, continue to have that same access to nutritious meals outside of school.

Each year TDHS partners with sponsors across the state to provide these meals. The program traditionally runs from the end of May to August when the next school semester begins. This year sponsors will be able to begin serving meals as soon as they’re approved, and they’ll have the flexibility to provide “grab and go” meals to children along with meal bags containing more than one day’s worth of food through the end of June.

Organizations, governmental institutions, schools, and religious entities interested in learning more about becoming SFSP sponsors are encouraged to register online for this year’s virtual Summer Summit to be held January 27, 2021.

“We have forged strong working relationships with our Summer Food Service Program sponsors over the years and those relationships have been even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter. “This program provides supports to strengthen families and grow their capacity to bounce back from the challenges of the last year.”

This need is especially important in rural counties in Tennessee and those designated as distressed. TDHS is hoping to recruit sponsors willing to serve those counties and additional sponsors for every county in the state to help their communities during this time.

In addition to children of school age, adults 19 and older with a mental or physical disability are eligible to receive free meals if they participate in a school program established for individuals with disabilities during the prior school year.

Applications will be accepted until May 1, 2021. If your organization is interested in becoming a SFSP sponsor or becoming a feeding site under an existing sponsor, please contact the TDHS by e- mail at TNSFSP.DHS@tn.gov.

For more information on the Summer Food Service Program, please visit the TDHS website.