Federal program provides $8M in free meals to Indiana children

(The Center Square) – Any Indiana child can get free meals and snacks this summer thanks to the federally funded, state operated Summer Food Service Program. Meals are offered at over 1,000 locations throughout the state and open to kids 18 and younger.

More than 508,000 Indiana school children qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches according to the National Center for Educational Statistics. That means the challenge of providing food is greater for nearly half of Hoosier families when school is not in session.

The Summer Food Service Program was created more than 50 years ago to help meet that need. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the Indiana Department of Education.

Meals are offered by local sponsoring organizations, which may be non-profits, schools or government entities. Meals are served at supervised sites such as schools, parks, community centers, health clinics, hospitals, apartment complexes and churches, according to a USDA fact sheet. Breakfast, lunch, supper, and morning and afternoon snacks may be available, depending on the site. The sites operate in low-income areas but are open to all children.

June is the busiest month for the program, according to a DOE statement. In recognition of the need, Gov. Eric Holcomb proclaimed June 5-11 Summer Food Service Program Week.

This year the SFSP is likely to serve about 2.5 million meals, consistent with pre-pandemic participation levels according to DOE spokesperson Holly Lawson. That would result in about $8 million in reimbursements to providing organizations by the USDA.

Providers will be paid up to $2.61 for a breakfast, $4.56 for a lunch or dinner and $1.08 for a snack including administrative reimbursement, according to USDA, a 5.8% increase from last year.

Summer Food Service Program sites can be found at IDOENutrition.com. Open sites serve meals to any child. Closed enrolled sites and camps serve meals only to children enrolled in their program.

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