Food Assistance Research Brief-Feeding Low-Income Children When School Is Out: The Summer Food Service Program

by Jane E. Allshouse

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is the major Federal resource available to provide children from low-income families with nutritious meals when school is not in session. Small in comparison with the National School Lunch Program, which served 15.5 million children in 2001, the SFSP served 2.1 million children. Growing interest in improving SFSP operations and expanding participation led USDA to commission the first comprehensive examination of the program since 1986. This brief presents findings from the study.

Keywords: Summer Food Service Program, SFSP, National School Lunch Program, NSLP, food assistance programs, dietary and health effects, child nutrition programs, nutrient content, plate waste, poor families, welfare, anti-poverty programs

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