The sun is rising earlier, the days are growing longer, and the weather is getting warmer…summer is almost here! The No Kid Hungry New York team is here to help you plan for summer with NEW resources and a 2024 rural, non-congregate summer meals webinar series!
New Webpage
Non-Congregate Summer Meals Webpage
Find all the research, policy, implementation supports, and webinars about non-congregate meals in one easy to access place. This new webpage is now live on the CBP website and will be announced in the WNN coming out tomorrow.
New Resources
Successful Non-Congregate Meal Service Models for Rural Areas: Implementation Guide (2024 Update)
This resource outlines effective non-congregate meal service models. Use this guide to find strategies and tactics to execute a successful non-congregate summer meals program in your rural community.
This toolkit includes a range of ready-made promotional materials are available to help publicize summer meals in your community. Use these resources to maximize the impact of outreach efforts in schools, faith communities, community organizations and online.The toolkit has been updated to include additional non-congregate summer meal resources for Summer 2024 and beyond.
Rural Non-Congregate Summer Meals in 2023: Insights from the First Year of a New Program
Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry led a study to describe the implementation and elucidate lessons learned from this historic first year of the non-congregate summer meals option in rural areas in summer 2023. Through a combination of documented conversations and surveys with state agencies and sponsors, as well as No Kid Hungry staff working directly with states, we have pieced together a comprehensive picture of what summer 2023 implementation of non-congregate meals looked like in terms of challenges, successes, and opportunities to expand and improve the program in summer 2024 and beyond. The full research report and two micro-reports, one focused on sponsors and the other focused on state agencies, can be found here.
2024 Rural Non-Congregate Summer Meals Webinar Series
Webinar | How Community-Based Organizations Are Expanding Access to Summer Meals through Non-Congregate Feeding | Watch Recording
A new summer meals provision allows summer meal sponsors to offer non-congregate meals in rural communities. These flexibilities allow community-based organizations to design programs that best meet the needs of their communities. No matter the size of your summer operations, there are non-congregate models that could help your rural community – whether you’re transporting meals, offering grab n’ go options, bulk distributions, or adding take-home meals to existing summer programming. Watch to learn how three organizations approached non-congregate meals last summer, working with different community partners to reach more kids.
Webinar | Schools Bringing Summer Meals to Kids: Lessons Learned & Promising Practices from Non-Congregate Feeding in 2023 | Watch Recording
This summer school districts in rural communities have an opportunity to operate non-congregate models to better reach kids with healthy summer meals. Bringing meals to communities has been proven through research and pandemic operations to be one of the best ways to expand access to the summer meals program in rural communities. There are many different ways schools can operate a mobile non-congregate meal program to best meet the needs of their community. Hear from three districts who have taken meal programs on the road and, as a result, significantly expanded their summer meal operations. Each district will share examples of how they have used these new flexibilities to change their operations, sharing their lessons learned and promising practices that may help inform your work this summer.
Webinar | Fueling Participation: Boost Engagement in Your Non-Congregate Summer Meals Program Through Marketing and Promotion | Watch Recording
Elevate your summer meal program’s reach and impact by joining our upcoming webinar! Gain invaluable insights into targeted marketing techniques designed to drive increased participation and ensure no child goes hungry during the summer break. From tailored outreach to community engagement, learn how to effectively promote your program and make a lasting difference in your community.
Webinar | Maximizing Resources: Financial Strategies and Staffing Solutions for Non-Congregate Summer Meals | Watch Recording
Join us for an insightful webinar tailored to financial management and staffing considerations in non-congregate summer meals programs. Delve into effective strategies for optimizing budgets, leveraging community partnerships, and staffing solutions to ensure seamless operations and maximum impact in feeding children during the summer months. Learn from experts in the field and gain practical insights to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of your program, empowering you to make a lasting difference in combating childhood hunger.
Webinar | Unlocking Access: Implementing Home Delivered Meals to Expand Summer Meal Access for Rural Families | Watch Recording
Flexibilities in the rural non-congregate summer meals program allow for meals to be delivered directly to students’ homes. Community organizations and school districts have the option to explore what a home delivery meal model can look like. In this webinar, we will explore practical approaches and best practices for establishing and enhancing home delivery services within the summer meal program. Learn how three expert organizations planned and implemented home deliveries during summer 2023 and how they are planning for success in summer 2024.
Webinar | Summer Success: Boosting Participation with Expert Menu Planning | Watch Recording
Explore menu creation and recipe development designed specifically for rural non-congregate summer meal service. In this webinar, three child nutrition experts share their experience in menu planning for summer meal services. Our experts provide attendees with invaluable strategies and ideas for preparing appealing and nutritious summer menus aimed at increasing child participation in summer meals.