The state Department of Education's Office of Health and Nutrition is seeking sponsors for Summer Food Service programs in Clarendon and 26 other South Carolina counties.
"(This) is an excellent opportunity for local government agencies, school districts, faith-based and private non-profit organizations to provide summer meals to children by becoming a sponsor for our Summer Food Service Program," states a release from the Office of Health and Nutrition.
The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the state Department of Education to serve healthy meals to children during the summer months when school is not in session.
Program sponsors can operate meal sites to feed students at various sites such as schools, churches, recreation centers, hospital cafeterias, farmer’s markets, community and migrant centers, and other areas in their local community. Sponsors are reimbursed for the approved meals that are served.
Other counties needing sponsors include Abbeville, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Hampton, Jasper, Lancaster, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Sumter, Union and Williamsburg.
The Office of Health and Nutrition will hold mandatory prospective new sponsor training on the Summer Food Service Program Tuesday and Wednesday at the State Farmers Market's T. Ashton Phillips Market Center, 117 Ballard Court in Columbia.
Registration for this meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. April 4. Training will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 4 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 5.
Participants can pre-register for the event by clicking here.
This mandatory two-day training is designed for all prospective new sponsors that are interested in offering meals through the Summer Food Service Program in 2017. Participants will be trained on monitoring, food preparation and service, meal counting, claims for reimbursements, marketing and other topics related to the program.
Interested participants are asked to RSVP by Monday at summerfood@ed.sc.gov or by calling Joann Minder at (803) 734-0527.
