NON-CONGREGATE SUMMER MEALS 101: A GUIDE �FOR NEW YORK CHILD NUTRITION SPONSORS
Why Operate Rural Non-Congregate Sites?
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors can operate non-congregate programs in rural communities without access to a congregate meal site. For more information, visit the Interim Final Rule on Non-Congregate Summer Meal Operations: Top Takeaways for Operators.
Program Model Flexibilities
Drive-Thru or Curbside Pick-Up: In drive-thru or curbside pick-up models, families often arrive by car, and meals are loaded into their vehicles. This model is best for meal programs planning to distribute multiple meals at one time.
Walk-Up Distribution: This service model can be provided in an indoor or outdoor location and is ideal for communities with central locations easily accessible by public transportation, car, or walking. In this form of grab-and-go, it may be preferable to provide fewer meals at one time to accommodate those walking or taking public transportation.
Mobile Route Distribution: With non-congregate meal distribution via mobile routes, sponsors use a vehicle to travel to multiple site locations. Similar to congregate mobile models, non-congregate mobile routes are ideal in areas where families face transportation difficulties and rural areas with few central gathering points.
Direct Home Delivery: Direct home delivery works best for multi-day meal distributions by saving sponsors time and resources necessary for individual deliveries to families’ homes.
Important Dates to Remember:
Resources
Please contact NYSED to confirm the eligibility of your proposed service area and model.
Menu Building Options to Meet Community Needs
Best Practices
Start Planning Early: Start discussions now with potential sites and NYSED about sponsoring summer meal service. This will give you a jumpstart on applications, menu planning and selecting staffing. You can even start planning with partner agencies who can support your meal distribution and marketing efforts and enhance your program with wrap-around services.
Summer School Solutions: If your summer school site is serving daily congregate meals to students, consider offering grab-and-go meals to non-students at a different point of service. Provide meals-to-go to summer school participants they can take home on weekends when school is not in session. When school is out for the summer, consider "converting" the site to a drive-through or pick-up site.
Staffing Strategies: Begin outreach to your staff now for the availability of summer meals work. Consider offering flexible shifts to accommodate staff who can only work a portion of the summer. Build a volunteer brigade by promoting the opportunity through schools and community organizations. Hiring youth can also be a great way to fill vacancies and provide high school students with income.
Create a Community-Centered Program: Engage families and children in the design of your program. Their voices can aid in identifying site locations, serving times, menu items and more that will most encourage participation. Work to identify barriers to participation in your community that may exist such as transportation, cultural needs, or lack of program awareness. If you have a large migrant population, reducing or eliminating registration burden can reduce fears around public charge that may impact your participation. Conducting pre- and post-surveys or focus groups can help you identify strategies to best meet the needs of your community.
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