The Nevada Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Division is seeking sponsors to provide free meals to children during the summer of 2015 through the federally funded Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

This year was a record breaking year for the Summer Food Service Program in Nevada. Nearly 250 sites statewide distributed more than 560,000 free meals to children on summer break.

“Nevada’s youth need nutritious meals year round, and this program provides free food for children outside of the normal school year,” said Donnell Barton, administrator of the Food and Nutrition Division. “We are urging schools, non-profits, government agencies, Native American tribes and eligible partners to be host sites for serving meals.”

Sponsors may prepare meals or obtain meals from another SFSP sponsor, public or commercial food vendor, a local government agency or a school food service department. All meals must meet USDA’s minimum meal pattern requirements for sponsors to get reimbursed for the meals served.

“All families have to do is show up at an open meal site, and their child will be fed, no questions asked,” Barton said.

There are no income requirements or registration. Any child under age 18 may eat.

Agencies interested in being sponsors or becoming meal sites should contact Karen Vogel at 702-668-4581.

The SFSP helps provide nutritious meals to children in geographic areas where at least 50 percent of students are eligible to receive free or reduced-price school meals. The program   reimburses agencies that serve these meals to children 18 years or younger during school vacation. The program benefits all children in accordance with federal law and USDA policy, and is prohibited from discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

Please visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer for more information.