There are many ways to get involved with summer meal programs. It is an “all hands on deck” effort to ensure that kids in need have a summer safety net that boosts their development, health, and academic readiness so that they are ready to go when school starts in the fall.

Here’s how you can help:

• Become a summer meal sponsor or summer meal site. Watch one of our webinars to learn more about what it means to be a sponsor or site. Then contact California Department of Education to learn more about eligibility, training, and application process.
• Learn how to improve your summer meal program operations. Current summer meal providers can find resources to help you improve their summer meal program. Join our community to connect with other sponsors, find new sites, and share ideas and challenges.
• Become a partner.  Consider what role you can play in helping to create a summer safety net for children and youth in your community. Summer meal providers rely on strong community partnerships and can help support your organization’s mission as well. You can also help facilitate partnerships in your community too to support summer meal programs. Read our newsletter to find examples of creative partnerships.
• Promote summer meal programs in your community. Help spread the word about summer meals. Provide a list of local summer meal sites to families you work with. Include nearby sites in your church bulletin. Post a list of sites at your agency. Help teachers and principals reach out to students and their families. There are many opportunities to get the message out there and the need for more messengers is great.