By: Mike Borges, President of State & Nutrition Solutions | LINQ
Summer break may be here, but for school nutrition teams, there’s no such thing as downtime. As classrooms empty, school kitchens remain a critical source of nutritious meals for many students. That makes your summer feeding program an important community resource.
If you’re planning to operate a summer feeding program according to either the USDA Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or Seamless Summer Option (SSO), the challenges are real: site logistics and staffing, fluctuating participation, and unpredictable food and supply prices. But with the right prep, technology, and community strategy, you can turn summer into a season of impact without running out of steam.
Whether you’re offering congregate, non-congregate, or a combination of meal service options, it’s time to take one last look at your plan to ensure summer food service goes smoothly.
1. Start With the Why: Meals That Matter All Year Long
Millions of students depend on school meals not just during the school year, but year-round. Summer intensifies food insecurity for many families. Participating in SFSP or SSO means you’re protecting student health and showing up when kids, especially those experiencing food insecurity, need you most.
Every meal you serve is one less missed opportunity to make a difference. That’s why this shift into summer feeding is more than logistics. It’s mission critical.
2. Tap Into Opportunities to Serve Rural Communities: USDA SUN Meals To-Go and Sun Bucks (Summer EBT)
Summer should be a time for kids to recharge—not fall through the cracks. That’s where these options suited to rural areas or communities not served by a SFSP play a vital role.
SUN Meals To-Go is a non-congregate summer meals option for districts that serve rural communities. Under this program, eligible schools can offer meal pick-ups or delivery. Families in select states can find their nearest pick-up location using the USDA Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder.
In areas not served by a SFSP or SSO sponsor, Sun Bucks helps fill the gap. Officially known as Summer EBT, it’s a program administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and delivers much-needed grocery benefits to families with children eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
Geography shouldn’t be a barrier to nutrition. In remote communities, these programs empower districts to meet kids where they are—literally. Whether it’s multi-day meal boxes, convenient pick-up locations and times, meal deliveries, or funds families can use to purchase meals, these options give rural districts the agility to reach more students and connect families with benefits.
3. Review Summer Feeding Program Site Selection and Staffing Early
Summer operations don’t run themselves. Start by identifying meal sites that maximize reach—think public libraries, parks, or other community hubs if school buildings are closed. Work with transportation, facilities, and community partners to map feasible delivery routes or mobile feeding options.
Staffing is often tight in summer. Cross-train team members now and consider leveraging temporary hires, volunteers, or partnerships with community organizations. The more flexible your plan, the more resilient your program will be.
4. Audit Your Tools: Is Your Technology Summer-Ready?
Counting meals on a clipboard might get the job done, but counting with a digital solution ensures speed and accuracy. It means no more reconciling paper forms and spending additional time entering the data you spent the entire meal service collecting.
In 30 states and growing, LINQ Meal Counter is the preferred solution for more efficient summer meal distributions. Staff use tablets or mobile devices to tally meals as they’re claimed—the app works offline at remote sites and syncs data later. Because it’s also a claims and accounting application for both SFSP sponsors and State Agencies, it unloads administrative burden during those busy summer months.
To learn more about LINQ Meal Counter and find out if it’s available in your state, contact our Sales team!
5. Communicate With Families and Partners About Your Summer Feeding Program Early and Often
Outreach is everything in summer. If families don’t know where to find meals—or feel confused about eligibility—they won’t show up.
Use every tool at your disposal: flyers, robocalls, social media, district websites, and your parent portal for menus. Engage your local newspapers and news media for free press releases. Get the message out before the school year ends. Informing families about where and when to claim congregate or non-congregate meals makes all the difference.
This is how we build compassionate, food-secure communities—together.
7. Run a Pre-Summer Feeding Program Simulation
Think of it like a dress rehearsal. Test your menus, delivery routes, inventory systems, and tech platforms in real time before summer begins. Identify where breakdowns might occur, so they don’t happen when the stakes are highest.
Get feedback from staff, partners, and even families. The more you stress test your plan, the smoother your real launch will be.
8. Capture Data and Plan for Scale
Don’t just serve, learn. Use summer as an opportunity to gather insights: Which sites had the most traffic? Which meals saw the highest uptake? Where did bottlenecks occur? Summer provides an opportunity to test kitchen and service operations, as well as test menu items and recipes.
With integrated reporting from LINQ, you can capture and analyze performance data to strengthen both your summer and school-year strategies. And if you’re considering scaling summer operations next year, experience and data from this summer provides your foundation for strategizing.
The Bottom Line: Don’t Just Prepare—Empower
You’ve been through enough school years to know that how you prepare now determines what you can provide later. Summer is a lifeline for thousands of students. Let’s make it count.
With the right planning, the right tools, and the right mindset, your team can turn this season into one of service. Because every meal matters. Every day. All year long.