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The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) announced today that the application for the 2025 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) will open February 1, 2025, through May 1, 2025, for organizations interested in becoming an SFSP sponsor. The program aims to ensure children 18 and younger, who benefit from school meal programs, continue to have access to nutritious meals during the summer months.

Each year, TDHS partners with food sponsors across the state to provide these meals. The program traditionally runs from the end of May to August when the next school semester begins. This year, sponsors will be able to have the flexibility to provide “grab-and-go” meals to children in some rural areas.

“The Summer Food Service Program is an essential federally funded program designed to ensure that no child goes hungry when school is out,” commented TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter. “Last year, we supported over 1,350 approved SFSP meal sites and served approximately 4.9 million meals. This year, we are working diligently to continue expanding our outreach to more rural communities, and we urge organizations statewide to partner with us in this critical mission to provide nutritious meals to children across the state.”

While the SFSP has historically operated in most areas of the state, the program is focused on further expanding into rural counties that have little to no SFSP meal sites, including Benton, Carroll, Carter, Cocke, Fayette, Grainger, Houston, Humphreys, Johnson, Lauderdale, Marshall, Moore, Rhea, Sequatchie, and Sumner counties. TDHS is actively recruiting sponsors to serve these counties and welcomes additional sponsors for every county across Tennessee.

If your organization is interested in becoming an SFSP sponsor or becoming a feeding site under an existing sponsor, please contact the Tennessee Department of Human Services by email at TNSFSP.DHS@tn.gov. For more information on the Summer Food Service Program, please visit the TDHS website.

In addition to children of school age, adults 19 and older with a mental or physical disability are eligible to receive free meals if they participate in a school program established for individuals with disabilities during the prior school year.

Parents interested in finding a Summer Food Service Program feeding location near them are encouraged to contact the TDHS Summer Food Service Program main line at 615-313-4749 or contact their local school as the end of the school year approaches.