Organizations Needed to Provide Complimentary Meals to Children this Summer

With assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Maine public schools have long offered a nutritious breakfast and lunch meal program to thousands of income-eligible children in Maine during the school year. To extend this program into the summer months, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Child Nutrition team is seeking organizations that would like to participate in the federally-funded SUN Meals program – formally known as the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) – which provides children healthy, free meals when school is not in session.

In the summer of 2024, 101 SUN Meals sponsors were approved to operate 413 summer meal sites across all of Maine’s 16 counties. There is, however, still a long way to go toward feeding all of Maine’s eligible children in the summer, and community partners are working to maximize the number of sponsors utilizing the available SUN Meals program funds.

“Having access to nutritious food is an essential component of a happy and healthy childhood, providing kids with the fuel they need to thrive both inside and outside of the classroom,” Pender Makin, Commissioner of the Maine DOE, said. “The Maine Department of Education is grateful to organizations that participate in the SUN Meals program, with the understanding that the guarantee of the basic right to food for children should not be restricted to the school calendar year. We encourage other organizations to also consider participating in 2025 to help meet this need for kids statewide.”

The SUN Meals program may be offered statewide in areas or at sites where more than 50 percent of children are eligible for free or reduced meal benefits under the National School Lunch Program or where census data supports the need. Organizations that provide services in rural communities or near migrant farm workers and tribal populations are urged to participate. SUN Meals sponsors are also needed to provide grab-and-go or home-delivered meals (termed “SUN Meals To-Go”) in approved rural locations.

The Maine DOE encourages any eligible organization to consider providing this much-needed service to Maine children. Eligible sponsoring organizations include schools, nonprofit residential summer camps, government agencies, tax-exempt organizations, and faith-based organizations. Approved sponsors will be reimbursed for eligible meals for children during the long summer break.

Interested organizations should begin planning now for a successful summer, as applications for participation open in March. Potential sponsors are required to receive training from the Maine DOE, and that will occur in person in Augusta at a date to be announced.

Maine DOE staff members are available via phone and email to answer any questions pertaining to summer meals and will also assist during the onboarding process for sponsors. For more information about the Maine DOE’s SUN Meals program, please contact Nicholas LaBreck, Maine DOE Child Nutrition Supervisor, at nicholas.j.labreck@maine.gov, or call 207-557-3283. You may also visit the Maine DOE website.

Federal Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages ​​other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY), or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR %20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

(1) mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250-9410; or

(2) fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email:
program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

State Non-Discrimination Statement

The Maine Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, religion, ancestry or national origin.

Complaints of discrimination must be filed at the office of the Maine Human Rights Commission, 51 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0051. If you wish to file a discrimination complaint electronically, visit the Human Rights Commission website at https://www.maine.gov/mhrc/file/instructions and complete an intake questionnaire. Maine is an equal opportunity provider and employer.