2023 Summer meals will begin across Utah on June 5th, though not every site will operate at the same time.
The USDA provides a tool to find summer meal sites close to you. It's important to check the dates and times of a specific site, as these vary significantly depending on the site's sponsor.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federal nutrition program similar to, but separate from, the school lunch program. Sponsors for summer meal sites can be school districts or local non-profit agencies, and sites for meal service can be schools, libraries, parks, or other sites in the community.
Summer meals differ from normal school lunch in a few ways. For one, the meals provided are free of cost to children regardless of their families’ income, or which school they attend. Meals also must be consumed at the site of service. During the pandemic some restrictions like this one were suspended, but for most summer meal sites the rules demanding that students eat their meals on site are once again in place.
While summer meal sites can provide breakfast, lunch, and supper service, sites in Utah will typically have a limited time window for serving each meal (usually around an hour). Also, few sites maintain service throughout the full summer session. Taking all this into consideration, checking the dates and times of service as well as the site location can be critical.
