New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Edward D. Wengryn is encouraging organizations to help provide nutritious meals to children in low-income areas during the summer months through the Department’s Summer Food Service Program.
The Summer Food Program began in 1976 as an outgrowth of the National School Lunch Program. The Summer Food Service Program is designed to reach those who are age 18 or younger in economically disadvantaged areas. It also is open to people over 18 who are mentally or physically handicapped and who participate in public or nonprofit private programs established for the disabled.
The federally funded program reimburses participating organizations for meals served to children who live in areas in which at least 50 percent of the children qualify for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program.
Applicants may include public or private nonprofit school food authorities, units of local, municipal, county or state governments, public or private nonprofit organizations, residential summer camps or national youth sports programs.
Organizations approved to sponsor the Summer Food Service Program are responsible for managing the feeding sites that provide the meals to young children.
Most participating organizations may be reimbursed for up to two meals a day. Meals may also be reimbursed for nights and weekends. Those serving primarily migrant children may be reimbursed for up to three meals a day.
Residential camps may serve up to three meals a day but are reimbursed only for meals served to children eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program.
In School Year 2025, 17 School Food Authorities with a total of 29 sites participated in the National School Lunch Program’s Seamless Summer Option to provide 47,080 free lunches and 30,551 free breakfasts to children 18 and under. In 2025, 178 sponsors participated in the Summer Food Service Program serving 4,469,314 nutritious meals which included breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
In addition to the Summer Food Program, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Food and Nutrition, administers a number of programs devoted to improving the quality and provision of food to New Jersey residents, in particular those most in need, including School Nutrition Programs and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
The Division of Food and Nutrition also administers The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which distributes federally donated commodities to six emergency feeding organizations statewide. These federally donated foods are distributed to more than 850 soup kitchens, food pantries, and public feeding sites.
For more information on the Summer Food Service Program, call 609-292-4498. The deadline for submission of new applications is Wednesday, March 18.
