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New York Summer Meals Celebration Toolkit

We know that when kids and teens have consistent access to healthy food, they have the fuel they need to grow and thrive. When school lets out for the summer, kids lose access to at least two healthy meals each day. Fortunately, summer meals programs ensure that kids and teens have the nutrition they need to return to school in the fall nourished and ready to learn. 

In this toolkit, No Kid Hungry New York gathered tools, templates, language, and images that can be used by sponsors across the state to promote and celebrate summer meals programs. We encourage you to spread the word about the benefits of summer meals, emphasizing how they can contribute to the well-being of our community while also saving families time and money. Together, we can make a difference!

Summer Meals Program Key Details:

🍽️ Meals are FREE for children and teens ages 18 and under.

🏫 Meals can be found at designated public schools, community centers, pools, libraries, parks, and even food trucks!

🌟 The summer meals program is federally funded.

🥗 Meals are healthy and follow USDA nutrition guidelines.

🏞️ In some rural areas, meals may be offered through grab-and-go, parent pick-up, or home delivery. Connect with your local provider for more details and enrollment information.

Key Strategies for Marketing & Promoting Your Sites

🌟 Host Community Events:

  • Kick-off Celebration:
    • Feature a special menu to create a memorable start.
    • Include local leaders and partners to show community support.
    • Partner with local businesses for event giveaways like beach balls, sunglasses, frisbees, water bottles, and drawstring backpacks.
  • Mid-Summer “Spike Event”:
    • Renew interest in non-congregate summer meals and increase participation by hosting a special event in late July or early August.
    • Invite local leaders, plan fun activities, and include a music concert, health fair, or other family-friendly events.
  • Use Event Planning Tools:
    • Use Eventbrite to plan and coordinate your events seamlessly.
    • Post event dates as open Facebook events to reach a larger audience.

📰 Media Outreach:

  • Customize and submit this template press release to local news outlets to announce the launch of your non-congregate summer meals program.

📝 Sample Letter to Parents/Caregivers:

  • Customize this template letter to parents and caregivers to announce your non-congregate summer meals program. This letter notifies parents of the availability of the program, encouraging participation and emphasizing the benefits to families.

🤝 Engage with Local Organizations

  • Partner with local organizations such as churches, libraries, parks, and community centers to help promote your non-congregate summer meal program. These groups often have strong community ties and can help spread the word.
  • Share program details and encourage them to include information in their bulletins, newsletters or social media.
  • Provide flyers or posters for them to display at their locations, increasing visibility and support.

🏫 School and PTA Engagement

  • Schools are valuable partners in promoting summer meal programs. Encourage them to share program details with families through newsletters, email lists, or parent-teacher meetings. By collaborating with schools and PTAs, you can reach a wider audience and increase program participation.
  • Make sure to provide schools with flyers or posters to display on campus as well, further promoting the program to families!

📹 Short Video Clips for Social Media

Develop short video clips (15–30 seconds) that can be shared on your social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Facebook Stories. These clips can showcase the meal pickup process, highlight the benefits of free meals, or feature testimonials from families or kids who have benefited from the program. Engaging visuals can help capture attention and spread the word about your non-congregate summer meal program! 

📚 Take advantage of free outreach materials provided by the New York State Education Department’s Child Nutrition Knowledge Center:

🤝 Engage Elected Officials: Engaging elected officials is paramount in garnering support and raising awareness for summer meals programs. Here’s how you can involve them effectively:

  • Share a short program blurb for their monthly constituent newsletters. 
  • Ask them to post about your program on their social media accounts to promote your program and the availability of summer meals.
  • Invite officials to attend events to show support using our customizable invitation template.

Boosting Participation with Engaging Activities

Pairing activities with meals is a strategic approach that significantly boosts program participation and retention rates during the summer. This practice has proven to be instrumental in creating a more dynamic and engaging environment for participants, fostering increased engagement, efficient forecasting, and providing continued learning opportunities.

🎈 Decorate Your Site: Transform your site into a vibrant and inviting space with balloons, posters drawn by the kids – anything to make it festive and welcoming.

🎉 Organize Raffles: Spark excitement among participating children by organizing raffles with kid-friendly prizes. This adds an element of fun and incentive to the program.

🎨 Enhance Mealtime Excitement: Elevate the dining experience by serving special menus featuring kids’ favorites and implementing theme weeks throughout the summer. Consider giving your usual menu items new, creative names to make mealtime more exciting, and add variety and anticipation with themed weeks like “Christmas in July” to make the program more memorable for children.

👦👧 Engage Youth Input: Encourage participation and ownership by involving youth in the planning process. Ask for feedback to understand their preferences better and tailor activities and menus to suit their needs. Utilize surveys and interactive feedback mechanisms to gather insights and ensure the program aligns with their interests.

🌞 Summer Food, Summer Moves: This resource kit by the USDA is designed to get kids excited about healthy eating and physical activity during the summer months. Access downloadable and printable materials or order free printed resources available for participating schools, childcare providers, and summer meals programs.

Sample Social Media Posts:

English

👦🏽👧🏼 Keep our kids and teens fueled up this summer with free meals across our community. To learn more call 1-866-3-HUNGRY or visit: summermealsny.org

🌞🍽️ Save time and stress this summer! Enjoy free summer meals for kids and teens! No forms, no fuss. Just swing by for nutritious meals all summer long. Visit summermealsny.org or call 1-866-3-HUNGRY to learn more.

🍽️🍉Lunch is on us! Save time and money preparing meals for your kids and stop by SCHOOL/PROGRAM during [TIME FRAME] for free food and fun. To learn more, call 1-XXX-XXX-XXX or visit: WEBSITE.

🌞🍽️We’ll be serving free meals for kids and teens from TIME FRAME at LOCATION. Stop by! This week, we’ll be serving some tasty meals including EXAMPLE OF MEAL. To learn more, call 1-XXX-XXX-XXX or visit: WEBSITE.

👦🏽👧🏼 We’re providing free meals for kids and teens 18 and under Monday through Friday at LOCATION. Stop by with your family between [TIME] and [TIME] to enjoy lunch on us. To learn more, call 1-XXX-XXX-XXX or visit: WEBSITE.

Spanish

👦🏽👧🏼 ¡Aseguremos que nuestros niños y adolescentes estén bien alimentados este verano con comidas gratuitas en nuestra comunidad! Para más información, llama al 1-866-3-HAMBRE o visita: summermealsny.org

🌞🍽️ ¡Ahorra tiempo y estrés este verano! ¡Disfruta de comidas gratuitas para niños y adolescentes! Sin formularios, sin complicaciones. Simplemente pasa por aquí para disfrutar de comidas nutritivas durante todo el verano. Visita summermealsny.org o llama al 1-866-3-HAMBRE para obtener más información.

🌞🍎 La preparación de las comidas es un trabajo. Deja que nosotros nos encargamos de ello. Únete a nosotros en [ESCUELA/PROGRAMA] durante [HORARIO] para comidas gratuitas y diversión para niños y adolescentes de 18 años o menos. Conoce más llamando llama al 1-XXX-XXX-XXX o visita: SITIO WEB.

🌟🍎 Estaremos sirviendo comidas gratuitas para niños y adolescentes durante [HORARIO] en LUGAR. Llega hasta allí. Esta semana, estaremos sirviendo algunas comidas sabrosas incluyendo EJEMPLO DE COMIDA. Conoce más llamando al 1-XXX-XXX-XXX o visita: SITIO WEB.

Sample Language for Newsletter/Website:

English

Save your family time and money with free summer meals for your kids this summer! Summer meals can be a great place for your child to come enjoy a nutritious meal. In rural areas, some programs can even offer bundled meals to-go or home delivery! To find meal sites near you, visit summermealsny.org. You can also call the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) for summer food resources.

Spanish

¡Ahorra tiempo y dinero a tu familia con las comidas gratuitas para niños y adolescentes este verano! Los sitios de comidas de verano pueden ser un gran lugar para que tus niños disfruten de una comida nutritiva. En las zonas rurales, algunos programas pueden incluso ofrecer comidas para llevar o entregas a domicilio. Para encontrar un sitio de comidas gratis de verano cerca de ti, visite el summermealsny.org. También puedes llamar a la línea nacional contra el hambre al 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) para obtener recursos de comidas disponibles para el verano.

TEMPLATE FAQS ABOUT SUMMER MEALS

Customize these frequently asked questions (FAQs) for your summer meals program. You can use these on your website and in printed materials that may be shared with your community.

English

Frequently Asked Questions

What are summer meal programs? Summer meal programs are funded by the USDA and designed to provide nutritious meals to children and teens ages 18 and under during the summer months when school is out of session.

What are the requirements for my child or teen to receive a meal? Do I have to fill out an application form? No application or registration is required to receive a meal from a traditional summer meal location where meals are eaten on site. You do not have to provide proof of income, residency, or citizenship.

Do meals have to be eaten on-site? [IF OPERATING CONGREGATE MEALS INCLUDE] Yes. Due to federal regulations, all meals must be consumed on-site. Children can take one fruit, vegetable, or grain item from their meal off-site to eat later.

[IF OFFERING NON-CONGREGATE MEALS INCLUDE] No. Our program will offer [INCLUDE DETAILS ON MEAL SERVICE: GRAB&GO/DELIVERY/PARENT PICK-UP/MULTI-DAY MEALS/ETC.]

Is there a cost? No. All summer meals offered through the USDA’s programs are free to all kids and teens ages 18 and under.

Can parents or guardians pick up meals on behalf of their kids? [IF OPERATING CONGREGATE MEALS INCLUDE] No. Children must be present and consume their meals onsite. However, many meal sites include fun activities for kids and the whole family.

[IF OFFERING NON-CONGREGATE MEALS INCLUDE] Yes. Our program will offer [INCLUDE DETAILS ON MEAL SERVICE: GRAB&GO/DELIVERY/PARENT PICK-UP/MULTI-DAY MEALS/ETC.]

How do I find a summer meals site in my community? To find a free summer meals site near you, visit summermealsny.org. For summer food resources, you can also call the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479).

What kind of food is served at these sites? The meals served follow nutrition guidelines set by the USDA. All breakfasts include milk, fruit or vegetable, and grain/bread, and all lunches include milk, two fruits and/or vegetables, grain/bread, and a meat or protein alternative. A typical lunch, for example, could consist of a turkey sandwich on wheat bread, milk, an apple, and a salad. Check our menu at [LINK].

Who funds free summer meals? [SPONSOR NAME] receives funding for each qualifying meal served to children through [STATE AGENCY NAME], which receives funding for summer meal programs directly from the USDA.

What else can I do to help? You can share information about free summer meals on social media with friends, family members, neighbors, and with any community groups or faith-based congregations you belong to. To find a free summer meals site near you, visit summermealsny.org For summer food resources, you can also call the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479).

Have other questions? Please contact [NAME OR ORGANIZATION] at: info@X.org.

Spanish

Personaliza estas preguntas frecuentes (FAQ) para tu programa de comidas de verano. Puedes utilizarlas en tu sitio web y en los materiales impresos que compartes con tu comunidad.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿Qué son los programas de comidas de verano? Los programas de comidas de verano están financiados por el Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos (USDA por sus siglas en inglés) y tienen el objetivo de proporcionar comidas nutritivas a niños y adolescentes menores de 18 años durante los meses de verano en los que no hay clases.

¿Cuáles son los requisitos para que mi hijo o adolescente reciba una comida? ¿Tengo que llenar una solicitud? No es necesario presentar una solicitud ni inscribirte para recibir las comidas que se reciben en los sitios tradicionales y se comen en el sitio. No es necesario presentar pruebas de ingresos, residencia o ciudadanía.

Ten en cuenta que algunos programas de comidas para llevar, comidas móviles o de reparto a domicilio pueden fomentar un proceso de inscripción para reservar tus comidas y ayudarles a planificar. Consulta a tu proveedor local de comidas de verano para obtener más información.

¿Las comidas deben ser consumidas en el lugar? [SI OPERAS CON COMIDAS CONGREGADAS, INCLÚYELO] Sí. Debido a las regulaciones federales, todas las comidas deben ser consumidas en el sitio. Los niños pueden llevarse una fruta, una verdura o un cereal de la comida para comerlo más tarde.

[SI OFRECES COMIDAS NO CONGREGADAS, INCLÚYELO] No. Nuestro programa ofrecerá [INCLUYE DETALLES SOBRE EL SERVICIO DE COMIDAS: PARA LLEVAR/ENTREGA/RECOGIDA POR LOS PADRES, TUTORES O CUIDADORES/COMIDAS PARA VARIOS DÍAS/ETC.].

¿Tiene algún costo? No. Todas las comidas de verano ofrecidas a través de los programas de USDA son gratuitas para todos los niños y adolescentes menores de 18 años.

¿Pueden los padres o tutores recoger las comidas en nombre de sus hijos? [SI OPERAS CON COMIDAS CONGREGADAS, INCLÚYELO] No. Los niños deben estar presentes y consumir sus comidas en el sitio. Sin embargo, muchos sitios de comidas incluyen actividades divertidas para los niños y toda la familia.

[SI OFRECES COMIDAS NO CONGREGADAS, INCLÚYELO] Sí. Nuestro programa ofrecerá [INCLUYE DETALLES SOBRE EL SERVICIO DE COMIDAS: COMIDAS PARA LLEVAR/ENTREGA/RECOGIDA POR LOS PADRES, TUTORES O CUIDADORES/COMIDAS PARA VARIOS DÍAS/ETC.].

¿Cómo puedo encontrar un sitio de comidas de verano en mi comunidad? Para encontrar un sitio de comidas de verano gratis cerca de ti, visita summermealsny.org. También puedes llamar a la línea nacional contra el hambre al 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273).

¿Qué tipo de comida se sirve en estos centros? Las comidas que se sirven siguen las directrices de nutrición establecidas por el USDA. Todos los desayunos incluyen leche, fruta o verdura y cereales/pan, y todos los almuerzos incluyen leche, dos frutas y/o verduras, cereales/pan y una carne o proteína alternativa. Un almuerzo típico, por ejemplo, podría consistir en un sándwich de pavo en pan de trigo, leche, una manzana y una ensalada. Consulta nuestro menú en [ENLACE].

¿Quién financia las comidas gratuitas de verano? [NOMBRE DEL PATROCINADOR] recibe fondos por cada comida que cumpla los requisitos y que se sirva a los niños a través de [NOMBRE DE LA AGENCIA ESTATAL], que recibe los fondos para los programas de comidas de verano directamente del USDA.

¿Qué más puedo hacer para ayudar? Puedes compartir información sobre las comidas gratuitas de verano en las redes sociales con amigos, familiares, vecinos y con cualquier grupo comunitario o congregación religiosa a la que pertenezcas. Para encontrar un sitio de comidas gratuitas de verano cerca de ti, visita summermealsny.org. Para obtener recursos de comidas de verano, también puedes llamar a la línea nacional contra el hambre al 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273).

¿Tienes alguna otra pregunta? Ponte en contacto con [NOMBRE U ORGANIZACIÓN] en: info@X.org.

Collecting Feedback through Surveys

Using a survey is an essential tool for gathering valuable feedback from participants and families in your Summer Meal Program. Surveys provide insights into the needs and preferences of the community, helping you identify areas for improvement and adjust your program to better serve families. By regularly collecting feedback, you can:

  • Enhance Participation: Understanding preferred meal distribution times, locations, and food items can help tailor the program to fit families’ schedules and tastes, increasing participation.
  • Improve Services: Direct feedback allows you to address any concerns about meal quality, portion sizes, or convenience, ensuring the program remains accessible and effective.
  • Strengthen Community Relationships: When families see their feedback is considered, it fosters a stronger connection with the program, making them more likely to participate and spread the word to others.

NYSED created a sample summer meals feedback form that you’re welcome to customize to fit your program’s needs. By using this flexible tool, you can ensure that you’re meeting the needs of your community and making informed improvements.

Summer Hunger Hero Award

It’s always a good time to celebrate the dedication of nutrition staff at summer meal sites. They work tirelessly to ensure every child receives nutritious meals during the summer break. Recognizing their hard work is not only a gesture of appreciation but also a source of inspiration for them to continue their impactful work. You can honor Summer Hunger Heroes and their vital role in feeding our community’s children by filling out the template below and giving it to them!

Download PDF

Additional Resources

For New Sponsors

  • Summer Meals Fact Sheet – This resource is an overview of the need for summer meals, basic facts about the program, and ways both individuals and organizations can get involved.
  • Summer Food Service Overview – This resource provides key facts about the Summer Food Service Program for school districts and community sponsors considering program sponsorship or other direct involvement in the delivery of the program.
  • 2025 Summer Impact Report – Learn how new summer nutrition programs are transforming access to food for millions of children, especially in rural and low-income communities, by providing flexible meal options, grocery benefits, and expanded support for families facing summer hunger.

Mapping & Area Eligibility:

  • Navigating Area Eligibility In Summer And Afterschool Meals – Determining if your site is area eligible can be complicated. This resource provides information on how to determine if a site is area eligible, the types of data that can be used to make that determination, and options for meal service if a site is not area eligible.
  • No Kid Hungry Summer Meals Eligibility Map – This map will show you if your summer meal site or day care home is located in an area eligible location based on the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s averaging policy.
  • Rural Summer Meal Coverage Tool – This map shows whether your area meets USDA’s rural criteria to qualify for non-congregate summer meals, while highlighting high need areas and summer meal eligibility.
  • USDA | Capacity Builder Map– This map has additional layers of information (e.g., community sites, Census data) beyond eligibility that may be useful in identifying where sites could/should go and potential partners working in the space.
  • USDA | Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder – USDA’s Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder helps families locate free summer meal sites, including Eat On-Site and Meals To-Go options, for children 18 and under across the country.

Staffing

Menus

Implementation