What We Do
Federal nutrition programs provide funding to ensure eligible children in need can access nutritious meals. Nearly 22 million kids rely on free or reduced-price school lunches during the school year, but only a fraction have access to similar meals in the summer.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are designed to fill those gaps relying on state-approved sponsors and site operators to ensure enrollment and distribution of meals across the country. With strategic partnerships, a collective effort, and innovative solutions, we can expand the reach and impact of these programs to ensure every eligible child has access to the food they need. That is the core of the work we're doing at the Ujima Hunger Coalition.
Summer Food Service Program
As SFSP sites and sponsors decline, we're reaching fewer eligible children over the summer months. Some states are seeing positive results with focused efforts on expanding their SFSP programs, but the majority are missing major portions of the child population who are food insecure.
Child and Adult Care Food Program
The number of sites and children reached with the Child and Adult Care Food Program and its Afterschool Supper and Afterschool Snack Programs are on the rise. This translates to a reduced meal gap after school, on weekends, and during school holidays, reducing food insecurity and the pressure on household food budgets for families with low incomes.
We're Building The Network
At the Ujima Hunger Coalition, we're tackling the meal gap from every angle. Our team has decades of hands-on experience developing, implementing, and operating successful, scalable SFSP and CACFP meal programs. From traditional congregate sites to drive-thru, home-delivered, and hybrid, we have worked with every model. A key starting point is: sponsorship. Recognizing there are fewer sponsors and sites operating across the country, Ujima will operate as a state-approved SFSP sponsor, utilizing the right model in the right place to increase the number of kids we feed.
Through our Empowerment Partnership Program, Ujima is helping school districts and community-based organizations who want to be either SFSP sponsors or site operators build and launch their own programs designed with the model that best meets their community's needs. We offer training and guidance to decode the process, regulations and requirements, and the expertise you need to develop a streamlined, sustainable solution to ensure kids have access to nutritious foods outside of school.
Great For:
School districts and other non-profits that serve USDA rural-designated areas that are not acting as an SFSP Sponsor, who serve students and families who face additional challenges to food access, and who want to bridge the summer meal gap.
Rural Non-Congregate, Ship-to-Home Programs
Recent USDA rule changes have significantly reshaped the meal distribution options in rural communities. Traditionally, sites were required to follow the congregate site model, where meals can only be consumed at central sites. With the new Rural Non-congregate option, sponsors can now choose a model that delivers multi-day meal kits directly to children's homes. This new option is a huge opportunity. By expanding the RNC model, we can increase the impact of the Summer Food Service Program in communities that have some of the highest rates of poverty and food insecurity.
Benefits:
- •Address transportation barriers and other socio-economic challenges for kids in rural and remote communities using direct-to-home delivery
- •Upon state sponsorship approval, deliver meals for multiple days (5, 7, and 10 days) once the number of eligible children in the house has been verified and daily maximums are adhered to.
- •Low-touch model with the high integrity, operational and cost efficiency. The food is packed and delivered to the family home by UPS, USPS, or one of our approved shipping partners.
Great For:
School districts and community organizations such as food pantries, churches, and civic organizations that do not currently act as Summer Food Service Program Sponsors.
Convenient, Accessible Drive-Thru Distribution Meal Programs
In drive-thru or curbside meal programs, families in rural designated areas simply drive to a designated pick-up spot, usually hosted by a trusted community partner. Without leaving their car, meal boxes are loaded directly into their trunk or back seat, making the process quick, easy, and efficient. This model is a convenient and effective way to get nutritious meals to kids in your community. Our team is here to help you create the infrastructure and develop a sustainable plan to ensure curbside summer meals reach the children who need them most.
Benefits:
- •Convenient pick-up model for busy families
- •Great for meal programs planning to distribute multiple meals at one time.
- •Ujima operates as the SFSP Sponsor, removing financial and administrative burdens for the community organizations.
- •The community partner places the meal order with Ujima.
- •Our UHC team ships the meals to the hosting community partner, who distributes the meal boxes at the community drive-thru event.
- •Drive-thru events often allow several community organizations to collaborate and provide additional items for families, such as hygiene kits, diapers, and household products which help the family budget stretch further.
Great For:
School districts and community organizations—like food pantries, churches, and civic groups—that aren't currently participating as Summer Food Service Program Sponsors and who want to cover the summer and after-school meal gap.
Traditional Congregate Meal Sites
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) both require that children eat their meals onsite under the traditional congregate meal service requirement, except for children living in designated rural areas.
Benefits:
- •Sites are held where organized enrichment activities take place such as recreation centers, after-school clubs, boys and girls clubs, etc.
- •Ability to work with urban sites.
- •Child participation is predictable.
- •Year-round partnerships create opportunities for seamless service between SFSP and CACFP programs.
Great For:
School districts and nonprofit organizations that do not currently conduct SFSP or CACFP programs and who need support and assistance with the guidelines and regulatory processes to start offering these programs in their communities.
Helping Local Organizations Nourish Their Communities
The Ujima Hunger Coalition's Empowerment Partnership Program (EPP) provides capacity building, training, and technical assistance to school districts and organizations that desire to be SFSP and CACFP sponsors but currently lack the knowledge, expertise, and resources to do so. UHC will work hand in hand with these local organizations to prepare them to rise to the level necessary to become sponsors. This model is a consultative approach that uplifts low-resourced communities and provides equity and access to the tools that will help feed and nourish more kids.
Benefits:
- •Learn on the job, working beside our team of experts
- •Gain the skills and management expertise to successfully become a sponsor in the future. All program operations will be shifted from UHC to your local organization at a mutually agreeable time.
- •Work with UHC to identify your community's needs, establish relationships with state agencies, develop a sustainable model for your programs, and build capacity
The EPP is designed to help with navigate complex regulatory requirements, ensuring compliance with federal and state guidelines. Our team collaborates closely with partners to identify the most suitable program model for their unique community needs. From there, we assist in building a strategic plan and blueprint, fostering partnerships with reliable vendors, and seamlessly launching their programs. Once operational, we provide ongoing support for program evaluation and optimization, ensuring that these meal programs can grow and thrive, feeding more children year after year.