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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

Office of P-20 Education Policy
Child Nutrition Program Administration
89 Washington Avenue, Room 375 EBA, Albany, NY 12234
Phone: (518) 473-8781 Fax: (518) 473-0018
To: 
SFSP Program Operators
From: 
Child Nutrition Program Administration
Date: 
Friday, February 23, 2024
Subject: 
Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Q&A

This guidance updates previously issued Questions and Answers to clarify the rural non-congregate summer meals option established through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (the Act) (P.L. 117-328), and codified through the interim final rulemaking (IFR), Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-congregate Option in the Summer Meal Programs (88 FR 90230). The Act authorized permanent, non-congregate meal service through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and National School Lunch Program’s (NSLP) Seamless Summer Option (SSO) for rural areas with no congregate meal service. This memorandum and its attachment supersede SFSP 01-2023, SP 05-2023, Implementation Guidance: Summer 2023 Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas – Revised, issued February 28, 2023, and SFSP 07-2023, SP 14-2023, Questions and Answers #2: Summer 2023 Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas, issued April 20, 2023.

Please note that the purpose of this guidance memorandum is to update earlier guidance originally issued for Summer 2023 operations, and to ensure consistency with the provisions of the IFR. Future Q&A guidance will address additional implementation topics based on feedback received by State agencies and program stakeholders.

FNS appreciates the exceptional efforts of State agencies and local Program operators working to meet the nutritional needs of participants during the summer months. SFSP and SSO rely on innovative and collaborative efforts to provide summer meals to children in need. We look forward to working with our program partners and other stakeholders on the administration and operation of the non-congregate meal service for rural communities.

Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Questions & Answers

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  1. Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
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