Child Nutrition Programs Continue to Feed Children Beyond School Year with the Hot Lunch Summer Food Service Program and SUN Bucks

With the assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Maine public schools have long offered a nutritious breakfast and lunch meal program to thousands of children in Maine during the school year. In Maine, students have access to meals during the school day at no cost to them or their families. With summer around the corner, students can still access the meals they need through the Summer Food Service Program. This U.S. Department of Agriculture program operates at hundreds of sites across Maine.  

To find nearby summer meal sites, please visit Hot Lunch Summer | Department of Education (maine.gov), or text “Summer Meals” to (914) 342-7744.  Information will be available mid-June.  

“Hot Lunch Summer and SUN Bucks ensure that Maine children can continue to access the healthy and nutritious meals they rely on during the school year,” said Maine Education Commissioner Pender Makin. “No child should worry about going hungry when the school year ends, and we thank the schools and organizations that have stepped up to make the distribution of these meals possible.”

Hot Lunch Summer, Maine’s Summer Food Service Program is offered statewide in areas or at sites where more than 50 percent of the children are eligible for free or reduced meal benefits under the National School Lunch Program or where census track data supports the need. Free meals are provided to children 18 and younger at open meal sites. Eligible sponsoring organizations include schools, nonprofit residential summer camps, government agencies, and tax-exempt organizations including faith-based organizations. This year, rural meal sponsors may offer free meals to go to further assist in reaching children who are unable to access congregate meal programs.  

Maine also launched SUN Bucks this summer, which provides families $120.00 for each eligible school aged child to buy groceries when school is out in the summer.  Most families will receive this money at the end of June, but some later in the summer months. Families that did not receive the first benefit may submit an application after June 1, 2024, at https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/applications-forms. 

To find nearby Summer Meal sites, please visit Hot Lunch Summer | Department of Education (maine.gov), or text “Summer Meals” to (914) 342-7744.  Information will be available mid-June.  

For more information about the Maine DOE’s Summer Food Service Program, contact kaitlin.fayle@maine.gov, call 592-4198 or visit https://www.maine.gov/doe/schools/nutrition/programs/sfsp. 

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In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. 

Program information may be made available in languages other than English.  Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. 

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

(1)       mail: 

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

(2)       fax: 

            (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or 

(3)       email:
            program.intake@usda.gov 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. 

The Maine Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, religion, ancestry or national origin. 

Complaints of discrimination must be filed at the office of the Maine Human Rights Commission, 51 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0051. If you wish to file a discrimination complaint electronically, visit the Human Rights Commission website at https://www.maine.gov/mhrc/file/instructions and complete an intake questionnaire. Maine is an equal opportunity provider and employer.