The Latest Information on Summer Meals

March 28, 2011 Spring is in the air – and summer is fast approaching! Last year only 11% of Washington kids who counted on free/reduced price meals during the school year had summer meals. Please help kids get healthy meals every day, all year round, by expanding the federal Summer Food Service Program in your community. Know the Summer Meals experts in your community If you want to support or start a Summer Meals program, click here and get to know which schools and organizations sponsored sites in your community last year. Contact them now to learn what works and how to work together this summer. To learn more about bringing a new sponsor or site to your community, please contact our favorite experts at OSPI Child Nutrition Services: Nancy Van’t Hul (360) 725-6222 or Donna Parsons (360) 725-6220 Starting new Summer Meal sites in your community Eligible summer meal sites are in areas where more than half the kids are enrolled in free or reduced-price meals at school or where more than half an area’s residents are low-income. Click here to find out which schools can qualify as a Summer Meal site in your community this summer. To learn more about being a sponsor or a site, check out Food Lifeline’s 2011 Washington Summer Meals Guide. Mark your calendars! Summer Meals grant opportunities - Deadlines are soon! Review the guidelines and timelines for funding to start, support, or expand your summer program. Feed Your Brain grants (School’s Out Washington): For rural communities with literacy programs; closes April 1 2011 Summer Food Support Grants (Partners for Hunger-Free Oregon) : For Clark County only; please contact them for more information before submitting application. Closes April 22. City of Seattle application to be a Summer Meals site – If you are in or near the city of Seattle, applications to become a site are due on April 1. Click here for application information or contact Javier Pulido (206) 386-1140 Yakima Summer Meals Community Meeting (Wed., April 6, 11am – 12:30pm) - Join a community discussion about expanding and supporting Summer Meals in the Yakima area. Meeting will be at: Yakima School District Conference Rm - 104 North 4th Ave., Yakima, WA. Brown Bag lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided. Please RSVP to Elise DeGooyer, Northwest Harvest: or call (206) 923-7423. OSPI’s sponsor training dates and Letter of Intent to Participate - If you plan to sponsor a Summer Meals Program, you must attend one of OSPI’s Simplified Summer Food Program (Summer Meals) trainings AND complete a 2011 Letter of Intent to initiate the application process. Learn more from OSPI about being a sponsor Required Training for Summer Meals Sponsors - dates & locations Letter of Intent to Participate as a Summer Meals Sponsor For more information, contact Nancy Van’t Hul at OSPI (360) 725-6222 The WA Summer Meals Partnership sends periodic newsletters to keep statewide partners up-to-date on the latest information about the Summer Meals Program.