Texas Department of Agriculture
Commissioner Todd Staples
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 1/21/2025 |
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COMMISSIONER MILLER INVITES ELIGIBLE NONPROFITS TO APPLY FOR SUMMER NUTRITION PROGRAM SPONSORSHIP IN 2025 (1/21/2025)
Approved agencies and organizations will be reimbursed with federal funds for feeding Texas children during the summer break
AUSTIN – Today, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) is accepting sponsor applications for its 2025 Summer Meal Programs. These programs connect eligible organizations with federal funds to sponsor meal sites that serve healthy meals for Texas children 18 years old and younger when school cafeterias are closed for summer.
“Every year, TDA partners with schools, cities, churches, and other organizations to ensure kids who may not always get enough to eat have meals and snacks during the summer,” Commissioner Miller said. “In partnership with TDA, these sponsors provide the good nutrition kids need to enjoy an active summer that readies them for success when the new academic year begins.”
TDA works to address childhood hunger during the summer by partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to administer two federally funded Summer Meal Programs. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides schools, nonprofit summer camps, governmental entities, and other nonprofit organizations with the opportunity to serve meals to children across Texas. Schools operating the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) have the option of participating in the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) or SFSP, allowing them to continue meal service after the academic year ends.
TDA is seeking to partner with sponsoring organizations to serve meals across the state in areas of need, including rural areas, areas with a concentration of migrant workers, and areas where more than 50 percent of children are eligible for free or reduced-price NSLP meals. In 2025, TDA aims to reach children in rural areas who haven’t previously participated in Summer Meal Programs due to transportation barriers by allowing eligible sponsors in those areas to apply to distribute nutritious meals outside of the typically required group settings and meal service times.
Meals will be provided to individuals aged 18 and under without charge. Adults over the age of 18 are eligible for summer meals if they are determined by a state educational agency or local public educational agency to have a mental or physical disability and who participate in a public or nonprofit private school program established for people with mental or physical disabilities.
All meal sites must be sponsored by an organization that has a contract with TDA and has taken TDA-provided training. Approved SSO and SFSP sponsors, operating in accordance with federal and state regulations, will be reimbursed for meals served to children. Schools applying to operate SSO use the NSLP New Applicants page on SquareMeals.org, and sponsors applying to operate SFSP use the SFSP New Applicants page on SquareMeals.org.
The SFSP application deadline for new sponsors and those requiring a more thorough review is April 15, 2025. All other returning SFSP sponsors must apply by May 1, 2025. The deadline for all SSO applications is May 31, 2025. TDA will provide guidance to sponsors currently operating and those who plan to apply to operate one of the summer nutrition programs as soon as more information is available.
For more information about TDA’s Summer Meal Programs and its other nutrition programs, please visit SquareMeals.org.
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