Media Contact:  Nicole Shaffer (202) 724-7739

The District of Columbia’s Free Summer Meals Program (FSMP), administered by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) Department of Wellness and Nutrition Services, is currently recruiting organizations to serve as sponsors and sites for summer 2009. The deadline for submitting sponsor applications for this program is Friday, May 15, 2009, and organizations can enroll to serve as sites through July. 

The FSMP reimburses organizations that provide meals during the summer to District children from low-income areas or to people with disabilities. Eligible organizations include public or private nonprofit school food authorities, faith-based and community-based organizations, housing authorities and other units of local or municipal governments, and public or private nonprofit day or overnight summer camps. In accordance with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, organizations may be reimbursed for serving up to two meals per day to eligible children ages 18 and younger.

Just as learning should not cease when school lets out for the summer, neither should access to good nutrition. The DC Free Summer Meals Program was created to ensure that children in low-income areas continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast. 

All children participating in the program are served meals free of charge, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, family responsibilities, political affiliation, disability, source of income, or place of residence or business.

Those interested in receiving additional information or applications for the DC Free Summer Meals Program are encouraged to contact:

Christi Dorsey
DC Free Summer Meals Program
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
51 N Street, NE, Third Floor
Washington, DC  20002
By phone: (202) 654-6116
By email: Christi.Dorsey@dc.gov