PIERRE, S.D. - The South Dakota Department of Education’s Division of Child and Adult Nutrition Services (CANS) is seeking sponsors for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which provides nutritious meals and snacks to children in low-income areas during the summer months.

More than 57,000 children in South Dakota receive free and reduced-price meals through the National School Breakfast and School Lunch Programs, which become unavailable in the summer months while school is not in session. Instead, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides federally funded meals through the Summer Food Service Program, providing free, nutritious meals to children at approved sites in areas with high concentrations of low-income children.

“Summer should be a time for fun and growth,” said Alan Haarstad, Director of CANS. “By operating a summer food service program, sponsors fuel students’ potential and help ensure every child in South Dakota returns to school nourished and ready to learn.”

CANS is looking for summer meal feeding sites.  Local organizations play a critical role in their communities, having a clear understanding of the unique needs in their area. Community organizations, nonprofits, schools, and tribal and local governments can apply to be sponsors if they:

• Operate in low-income areas;
• Serve a group of majority low-income children; or
• Operate a summer camp with a high proportion of low-income participants.

Parks and recreation departments, city and county health departments, libraries, and neighborhood service agencies are also invited to participate as sites or sponsors.

The following counties have a high need for new sponsors:

• Aurora;
• Bennett;
• Bon Homme;
• Buffalo;
• Butte;
• Campbell;
• Custer;
• Gregory;
• McCook;
• Hughes;
• Lake;
• Stanley; and
• Walworth.

The SFSP is available at no charge for children ages 0-18 and to persons with disabilities over age 18, who participate in school programs for people who are mentally or physically disabled.

Organizations interested in reviewing sponsor responsibilities and serving meals during summer 2026 are invited to use the SFSP pre-screen tool at https://forms.office.com/g/rUW11qVZV5.  

Questionnaires are due by February 27, 2026. Upon eligibility determination, CANS staff will contact sponsors with more information.

To learn more about serving as a sponsor or site, contact CANS at doe.schoollunch@state.sd.us. For more information visit: https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/faqs. 

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