Federal Funds Available to Serve Free Summer Meals for Youth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MEDIA CONTACT:
Raven Hill, 410-767-0486
[email protected]
Federal Funds Available to Serve Free Summer Meals for Youth
BALTIMORE (January 30, 2026) — The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is seeking public and private nonprofit organizations to participate in SUN Meals (formerly the Summer Food Service Program), a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that provides free, nutritious meals to children and teens in the summer months when school is not in session.
Organizations interested in becoming a sponsoring organization must apply by Wednesday, April 15 and those wishing to operate a SUN Meals site must apply by Monday, June 15.
Qualifying organizations may participate as SUN Meals sites, which serve meals to the community under a sponsoring organization, or as a sponsoring organization, which plan, coordinate and manage meal service at one or more summer meals sites.
In the summer of 2025, SUN Meals partners served more than 3.5 million meals to Maryland children and teens at over 1,400 sites. MSDE remains committed to addressing the needs of children statewide and closing the nutrition gap between school years.
“Families facing food insecurity can find the summer months especially challenging,” said Dr. Carey M. Wright, State Superintendent of Schools. “The SUN Meals and SUN Meals To-Go programs are intended to increase food security while children are out of school. From eating a meal at a meal site to receiving a meal box to take home, families in need can access nutritious food for their children all summer long.”
SUN Meals is a federally funded state-administered program that provides reimbursement to organizations that sponsor sites to serve nutritious meals to children in areas where at least 50 percent of households qualify for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program, or 50 percent of the children enrolled in a summer program qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Most organizations may be reimbursed for up to two meals or snacks per child per day. Camps and migrant programs may be reimbursed for up to three meals per child each day. All meals and snacks must meet federal nutrition standards.
SUN Meals are open to children and teens age 18 and under, and to individuals over 18 who have a mental or physical disability and participate in a public or private non-profit school during the school year.
For more information on applying to be a new sponsoring organization, contact the Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs at 410-767-0192 or [email protected].
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