Summer Food Program

4th ANNUAL SUMMER FOOD SUMMIT
Summary Report

October 2002

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Lisa Frank Allison of the Nutrition Consortium opened this year’s Summer Food Summits by providing some past highlights along with a reminder of the purpose of these summits – to improve Summer Food Service Program operation and participation.

At the first Summer Food Summit in 1999, sponsors discussed the need for increased outreach to improve SFSP participation and suggested that a comprehensive public service campaign be initiated. As a result, SED teamed up with the NY Mets and NY Yankees to develop public service announcements that continue to air on television and radio stations every summer. At our second summit, sponsors had the opportunity to brainstorm ways to spend the funding provided in the New York State budget to assist in summer food expansion. Sponsors clamored for outreach materials that could be used to entice children to come to existing summer meals sites, and SED is now in the process of contracting with an advertising agency to do so. Also, following the requests (at the third Summer Food Summit) for a sponsor networking tool, the Nutrition Consortium developed and distributed "In Your Neighborhood: A Directory of Summer Food Sponsors in New York State".

National & Regional Updates

John Magnarelli from USDA’s Northeast Regional Food and Nutrition Services Office reminded sponsors that SFSP expansion remains a top priority for USDA, and provided a national and regional look at Summer Food 2002.

At the national level, USDA-FNS Undersecretary Eric Bost set a goal of increasing the number of summer meals served in 2002 by 7%. This goal was achieved with a national increase of 10.8%, including meals served by both the National School Lunch Program and the SFSP during the month of July. While the majority of this national increase took place in the mid-western region, the northeastern region served over 200,000 additional meals in July of 2002.

At the state level, USDA continued to administer the SFSP program for New York’s camp and non-profit sponsors in 2002, while SED administered the program for schools and government entities. As a result of the combined outreach efforts of USDA, SED and anti-hunger advocates, the number of USDA-administered SFSP sites increased from 487 in 2001 to 514 in 2002. This increase in the number of sites occurred in spite of a decline in the number of sponsors (224 in 2001 and 216 in 2002). However, it is important to note that while there was an overall decline in the number of USDA sponsors in New York State, ten new agencies did take on SFSP sponsorship in 2002 – 7 non-profit organizations and 3 residential camps.

State Education Department Updates and Q&A Session

Updates:

Paula Tyner-Doyle from the NY State Education Department (SED) announced that SED has officially assumed full administration of New York’s SFSP as of October 2002. SED will now be the sole administering agency for all SFSP sponsors and has therefore expanded their summer food team to twelve staff members. SED assured camps and non-profit sponsors that the transition would be smooth and that all sponsors would now be able to benefit from the accessibility of SED SFSP staff.

Three school districts and one government entity became new SFSP sponsors in 2002, and three districts started to serve summer meals under the National School Lunch Program (two of them new to serving summer meals). [Note: In an effort to increase access to meals during the summer months, USDA issued a waiver in 2002 giving school food authorities the option to continue operation of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) throughout the summer. This waiver reduces paperwork by eliminating the SFSP application process, but sponsors are reimbursed at the lower NSLP rates.] In spite of these new meal providers coming on board, however, the number of school and government sponsors operating SFSP in 2002 decreased from 92 to 87.

Throughout the summer of 2002, SED staff conducted reviews of SFSP sponsors with the assistance of 12 master instructors hired for the summer months. These reviews did not reveal any major program violations, and mostly resulted in SED getting a first-hand look at the great deal of sponsor commitment to feeding children.

SED is currently in the midst of contracting with an advertising agency to develop a comprehensive Summer Food outreach campaign. The funds to initiate this campaign were made available in the ‘00/’01 New York State budget by tapping into available Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds. As a result, the funds must be used solely to target TANF participants. This means that materials developed by the advertising agency will be distributed throughout the state at local departments of social services, and possibly other agencies serving TANF participants. Once the TANF funds have been expended, these outreach materials will be made available to all sponsors, advocates and the community at large.

SED plans to continue its collaboration with the Nutrition Consortium and other advocates to increase the number of meal sites available to children throughout New York State in 2003. SED is currently compiling USDA and SED sponsor/site listings to create a state map denoting SFSP availability to be used to develop a targeted outreach plan. SED also plans to reach out to all sponsors in February with a letter of intent process to request that sponsors indicate whether they plan to continue sponsorship in 2003, while also encouraging them to expand their programs. This process will provide an early look at SFSP coverage in 2003, and will allow SED to plan targeted outreach efforts geared toward improving SFSP access throughout the state.

Questions and Answers: (responses were provided by both SED and USDA)

Q: What will the application process now look like for non-profits and camp sponsors?
A: Since non-profits and camp sponsors are new to SED, all non-profits and camps will be
treated as new sponsors in 2003. This simply means that these sponsors will need to complete an SED application form and provide site-specific information. In subsequent years, SED provides returning sponsors with a simple renewal application where sponsors only need to indicate changes to the previous year’s application information.

Q: Will non-profit sponsors still be restricted to operating 25 sites?
A: Yes. The 25 site limit is a federal USDA regulation. In some instances, SED may request a
waiver from USDA to allow a sponsor to operate more than 25 sites.

Q: Will SFSP reimbursement rates be higher in 2003?
A: Yes, reimbursement rates increase every year based, but the increase is minimal (based on the
federal Cost of Living Adjustment).

Q: Will there be money available for transportation in rural areas?
A: No. Unfortunately, extra money is not available for transportation. However, it is possible that
transportation funding pilots may be initiated through the 2003 Child Nutrition Reauthorization
Act.

Q: Now that SED has taken over administration of the SFSP in New York, will state supplemental
reimbursement checks continue to be sent to sponsors in the spring following the summer of
operation?
A: Yes. State supplemental reimbursement checks may only be distributed once all sponsor claims
have been received, reviewed and approved by SED.

Q: Our percent of free/reduced-eligible students dropped below 50% this year to 48%, but
participation at our summer meals site keeps going up. Will we be ineligible to operate an open
site next summer?
A: Not necessarily. Site eligibility information is valid for 3 years. In other words, if you provided SED or USDA with documentation of your site’s eligibility in 2002, that documentation allows your site to operate as an open summer food site for the summers of 2002, 2003 and 2004. In 2005, you will need to document that site’s eligibility again. If that site no longer meets the 50% area eligibility requirement, you will no longer qualify as an open site but may choose to operate an enrolled site. (For more information on enrolled sites, contact Lisa at the Nutrition Consortium.)

Q: Do you think that the 50% area eligibility requirement for SFSP will be lowered to 40% during
Child Nutrition Reauthorization?
A: Probably not. Although many agree that more needy children could be reached with SFSP
meals if the area eligibility requirement was lowered to 40%, this change is likely too costly to
be considered by USDA. But, the Nutrition Consortium and other advocates will continue to
push for this change!

Q: Will we still be able to get commodities now that SED is the sole administering agency?
A: Yes.

Q: Will our menus have to be approved by SED?
A: All menus must meet USDA requirements. Sponsors will need to submit proposed menus to
SED in order to ensure that USDA requirements are met. Otherwise, it is up to the sponsors to
create their own menus.

Q: Will the Department of Health still do inspections of SFSP sites?
A: Yes. SED solicits federal funds in order to contract with the NYS Department of Health to
monitor SFSP sites.

Q: Did school sponsors operating under the USDA seamless waiver serve meals throughout the
summer, or just during summer school?
A: Generally, these programs ran right up until the beginning of the school year.

Q: What should I do with state supplemental funds if I already break even with federal
reimbursements?
A: SED encourages sponsors in this situation to enhance breakfasts and lunches, perhaps by adding components, or to put individuals on the SFSP payroll sooner. Sponsors can be very creative with menus, as long as they meet the minimum of USDA required components.

Q: Do you think that the meals X rate reimbursement proposal will be implemented?
A: Perhaps. USDA thinks meals X rate reimbursement is a good idea, and it seems
likely that Congress will accept this proposal and allow, at least, public (school and government) sponsors to be reimbursed in this manner.

Q: If the school in our area is not interested in SFSP sponsorship, can a non-profit organization still operate an SFSP site at the school (with school permission)?
A: Yes

Panel Presentations and Roundtable Sessions:

Kick-Off Events:

Presenters: Rochester Summit – Sue Segelman, Rochester YWCA
Albany Summit – Deena Kolbert, Community Food Resource Center

Key points of Kick-Off presentations:

Keep in mind that the goal of a kick-off event is to generate publicity that will result in increased support for the program and increased program participation.

Begin the kick-off organization process early.

Obtain or generate a list of potential partners – agencies that may be willing to work cooperatively to organize a successful kick-off event, e.g., parks and recreation department, parent teacher associations, elected officials, American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, advocacy organizations, etc.

Invite potential partners to a planning meeting in January to: ß Discuss a kick-off strategy and select a theme

• Develop an outreach plan
  

• Designate roles/assignments for each partner agency, e.g., photocopying/printing outreach materials, distributing outreach materials, fundraising, obtaining permit for event, ordering special menu, media contacts, face painting, activity coordination, etc.
  

• Set goals and timelines for completing assignments
  

• Develop outreach materials and invitations to be distributed in May
  

• Stay in touch with media to ensure their presence at the event
  

Send thank you letters to all involved in kick-off to increase likelihood of their participation in subsequent years.

Activities
Presenter: Rochester&Albany Summits – Christine Wallace, Addison Schools

• Begin the activity organization process early.
• Obtain or generate a list of potential partners – agencies that may be willing to provide activities for children at SFSP sites, e.g., sports teams, library bookmobiles, crafts programs, phys-ed teachers, health/nutrition-related agencies, insurance companies, corporations, etc.
•Send letters to these potential partner agencies soliciting their involvement. The letter should offer suggestions of possible activities that agencies could provide for children at SFSP sites, as well as other ways in which these partners could assist in ensuring the success of the SFSP, e.g., promotional items. The letter should also ask that interested agencies contact the sponsor to schedule the proposed activity.
•Develop a calendar for tracking scheduled presentations. Be sure to have back-up plans for simple activities like coloring, in the case of cancellations.
•Involve parents. Make sure parents are aware of your schedule of activities and include activities for them, too. For instance, your local Cornell Cooperative Extension or Culinary School may provide a fun cooking session for both parents and children.
• Create a thank-you card with your SFSP children to send to all participating agency representatives. This not only shows your appreciation, but also increases the likelihood that the representatives will return next summer.

Menu Planning
Presenters: Rochester Summit – Craig Orvis, Watertown City Schools
Albany Summit – Laura Cristofalo and Anne O’Donnell, NYC-OSFNS

Key points of the Menu Planning presentations

• Estimate the number of meals you expect to serve on a daily basis.
• Take operation and administrative reimbursement levels into consideration
• Determine the types of menus needed, i.e., on-site meals, satellite meals, special diet meals, etc.
• Involve others in the menu planning process/form a menu committee
• Develop a theme to create excitement around your menu
• Rotate menus weekly so that children do not get bored with selection
• Evaluate your menus regularly and make changes as needed

Child Nutrition Program Reauthorization

Lisa Frank Allison from the Nutrition Consortium provided sponsors with an update on Child Nutrition Program Reauthorization (CNR), and sponsors were given the opportunity to review SFSP recommendations and share their views on needed program changes.

All child nutrition programs are set to be reauthorized by Congress in 2003. While various political issues may delay action on CNR, it is expected that Congress will take up CNR deliberation early in 2003.

In preparing for CNR 2003, the Nutrition Consortium collaborated with advocates, administering agencies, and nutrition program providers to develop recommendations geared toward simplifying program administration and improving program access/participation. The "New York State Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2003 Recommendations" document resulted from this collaborative effort and has been circulated locally and nationally. (If you have not received a copy, please visit our website at www.hungerNYS.org or request a copy by email-HungerCHLN@aol.com.) In May of this year, many of New York’s program administrators, providers and advocates presented recommendations at one of USDA’s CNR hearings held in New York City. In addition, the North East Region Anti-Hunger Network has created a regional recommendations paper and will be initiating a sign-on letter campaign to demonstrate to Congress the immense level of support for improvements to the child nutrition programs.

Upon reviewing the "New York State Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2003 Recommendations" at the Summer Food Summit, sponsors indicated that implementing a meals x rate reimbursement process is a top priority, along with increasing reimbursement rates, providing funding for transportation and reducing the area eligibility requirement from 50% to 40%. Making these priorities known is important, so the Nutrition Consortium has therefore created a "CNR Updates" email list to keep all nutrition program providers and advocates informed of congressional movements toward implementing recommended program changes and finalizing the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 2003. Through these updates, the Nutrition Consortium will be able to let program providers know when elected officials will need to hear from providers about the need for implementation of particular recommendations. If you would like to receive these CNR updates, please send an email to HungerCHLN@aol.com,

In the archives: The 3nd Annual summer Food Summit

The Nutrition Consortium of New York State is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to fight hunger in New York State through outreach, public education, policy analysis and research. The Consortium is located at 235 Lark Street in Albany, NY 12210