The Importance of Summer Food Service Programs

Kristina Familara
Jul 15
2 min read

Updated: Jul 16

What is a Summer Food Service Program?

The Summer Food Service Program was created to ensure that all children, regardless of their family’s income, can continue to receive nutritious meals during summer break when the National School Lunch and National School Breakfast Programs are not in session.

Nationally known as SUN Meals, Michigan’s SFSP Program is referred to as Meet Up and Eat Up.

This program provides free meals and snacks to all children and teens (18 years and under) during the summer months while school is not in session. No application is required.

Why Are Summer Food Service Programs Important?

Food insecurity occurs when households lack consistent access to enough food to meet all members' needs due to limited financial or other resources. It ranges from low food security to very low food security.

According to the USDA, in 2023, 8.9% of children across America had low to very low food security (3.2 million households).

Hunger Affects Health

Children facing food insecurity often struggle with concentration and academic performance in school.
Insufficient nutrition increases their risk of health issues like anemia and asthma.
Hunger can hinder a child’s brain and physical development, impacting their thinking, learning, and behavior.

Food insecurity can stem from various causes, but programs like the National School Lunch, National School Breakfast, and Summer Food Service Programs, such as SUN Meals and Michigan’s Meet Up and Eat Up, play a vital role in combating child hunger.

Find a Summer Feeding Service Program Near You

To discover nutritious meal sites across Michigan, please use this map provided by the Michigan Department of Education to find a Meet Up and Eat Up site near you: https://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/schoolnutrition/

For those outside of Michigan, please use this map provided by the USDA to find summer meal sites in your state: https://www.fns.usda.gov/summer/sitefinder

Sources: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics