USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) FNS Programs Work in Every Community to Fight Hunger and to Improve Nutrition! Our agency’ mission is to increase food security and reduce hunger by providing children and low-income people access to food, a healthful diet and nutrition education in a way that supports American agriculture and inspires public confidence.

Nutrition Assistance Programs SNAP School Meals (Breakfast, Lunch, After School Snacks) Special Milk Program Summer Food Service Program WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Program WIC Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Child and Adult Care Food Program The Emergency Food Assistance Program USDA Foods Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Commodity Supplemental Food Program Food Distribution of Indian Reservations USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service has 15 programs, and we’re proud to say that we serve people in all communities at every life stage. The federal nutrition assistance programs empower individuals and families most in need to move toward self sufficiency by ensuring they have nutritious foods to eat while helping to pave the way to long term success. The path to self sufficiency starts at birth and continues to evolve as children grown. Our WIC Program helps ensure babies and children are properly nourished as they develop and our school nutrition programs help ensure children are properly fed so they can focus on learning.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net. SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities. Individual Benefit-Paid through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Cards Eligibility-Gross income at or below 130% of poverty; U.S. citizens and certain lawfully present non-citizens Who receives SNAP? 44% of participants are children 10% of participants are age 60 or older 10% of participants are disabled non-elderly adults 31% of SNAP participants live in a household with earnings SNAP-Ed is a federal/State partnership that supports NE for persons eligible for SNAP. It improves the likelihood that a SNAP participant will make healthy food choices within a limited budget and choose physically active lifestyles consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

School Nutrition Programs National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs: Federally assisted meal programs operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. Provide nutritionally balanced, low-cost or no-cost breakfast or lunch to children each school day. Administered by State agencies which operate the NSLP or SBP through agreements with school food authorities. NSLP and SBP-Participating schools receive cash subsidies as well as nutritious, 100% domestic foods (USDA Foods) for each reimbursable meal served. Lunches must meet federal meal pattern requirements. School food authorities can also be reimbursed through the NSLP for snacks served to children who participate in an approved afterschool program. Children may be determined to be categorically eligible for free meals through participation in certain federal assistance programs such as SNAP or based on their status as homeless, migrant, runaway, or foster child. Children enrolled in federally funded Head Start program or comparable State funded pre-K program are categorically eligible. Children from families with incomes at or below 130% of federal poverty level-eligible for free lunch Children from families with incomes between 130-185% of federal poverty level-eligible for reduced price meals

Special Milk Program (SMP) Provides milk to children in schools, childcare institutions, and eligible camps that don’t participate in other federal child nutrition programs. SMP is administered by State education agencies which operate the SMP through agreements with school food authorities Participating schools and institutions are reimbursed for each half pint of milk they serve Any child from a family that meets the federal income eligibility guidelines for free meals is eligible to receive milk at no cost. There is no reduced price rate in SMP. Participating entities may choose to serve milk at no cost to all children, regardless of income. Schools participating in NSLP or SBP may serve milk through the SMP to children enrolled in ½ day pre kindergarten and kindergarten if those children don’t have access to the breakfast or lunch meal service.

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Bridges the nutrition gap by providing children 18 years and younger with the food they need when they are out of school to keep learning, playing, and growing Helps families with tight food budgets in the summer SFSP is State administered in most cases by State Education agencies but in some cases it’s the State health or social service department. Locally, SFSP is run by approved sponsors including school districts, local government agencies, camps, faith based and other nonprofit community organizations who enter into agreements with State agencies to participate. Sponsors provide meals to children who come to eat at a central site such as a school, park, library, farmers market, apartment complex, church, migrant center or community center. Providers are reimbursed for the meals served. Sites are in low income communities where children receive meals at no cost in a safe, supervised environment. Persons with disabilities over age 18 may also participate in some circumstances Many summer meal sites also provide enrichment activities to keep kids mentally and physically active

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Supplemental nutrition program in operation since 1974 WIC serves: Pregnant & postpartum women Infants Children up to age 5 1 in 2 babies in the US participate in WIC Eligibility: Income Residency Nutrition risk Administered by State agencies; services are provided at a variety of clinic locations including county health departments, hospitals, schools, and Indian health service facilities. To be eligible for the WIC program, women and children must meet income guidelines for their household size, be a resident of the State in which they are applying, and must be at nutritional risk which can be medical, such as anemia or underweight, or dietary-based such as risk of not meeting the nutrition goals set forth by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Benefits of WIC: Supplemental nutritious foods tailored to each participants needs; Nutrition education; Breastfeeding support and education; Referrals for health care, welfare, and social services Nutrition education and breastfeeding support and education are truly the foundation of the WIC Program. Education is tailored to the participants’ needs WIC is effective in improving the health of pregnant women, new mothers, and their infants. Studies have shown that women who participated in the program during their pregnancies had lower Medicaid costs for themselves and their babies than did women who did not participate. WIC participation was also linked with longer gestation periods, higher birth weights and lower infant mortality.

Farmers Market Programs WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) Both programs provide participants with checks or vouchers for locally grown fruits and vegetables which are redeemable at approved farmers, farmers markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture programs (CSAs) during the growing season. The FMNP provides between 10 and 30 dollars to eligible WIC participants over 4 months old per growing season. The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides vouchers to low income seniors, in an amount between 20 and 50 dollars. Low income seniors are generally defined as individuals who are at least 60 years old and have household incomes of not more than 185% of the federal poverty income guidelines The FMNP is operated by State agencies such as State agriculture departments, state health departments, or Indian tribal organizations. The SFMNP is administered by State agencies such as the State Departments of Agriculture or Aging. The Federal FMNP benefit level, whether for a household or individual, must be at least $10 and cannot be more than $30 per year. The Federal SFMNP benefit level, whether for a household or individual, must be at least $20 and cannot be more than $50 per year.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Helps child and adult care institutions and family or group day care homes provide nutritious foods to adults, young children, and at-risk youth. Afterschool care centers and emergency shelters can also participate. Infants and children through age 12 in child care centers and day care homes are eligible to participate. Adults who are 60 years or older or are physically or mentally impaired and enrolled in adult day care are also eligible. In afterschool care centers and emergency shelters, children through age 18 are eligible for free meals and snacks. Providers may be approved to claim reimbursement for serving up to 2 meals and 1 snack per day to each eligible participant. State agencies administer the program through agreements with child and adult care institutions In day care homes, all meals are served free. Meals served to children in centers are reimbursed at rates based upon the child’s eligibility for free, reduced price, or paid meals.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans including the elderly by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. At the State level TEFAP is administered by State distributing agencies that then work with local agencies to provide food. Through TEFAP, USDA purchases a variety of nutritious, domestically sourced and produced food known as USDA Foods and makes them available to distributing agencies. States provide the food to their local agency partners such as food banks, which in turn distribute the food directly to the public or to local organizations such as soup kitchens and food pantries. Households that meet State defined eligibility criteria may receive food through TEFAP. States set income standards which may, at the States discretion, be met through participation in other Federal, State, or local food, health, or welfare programs for which eligibility is based upon income. Recipients of prepared meals, such as those served at soup kitchens, are considered to be low income and are not subject to a means test.

USDA Foods for Child Nutrition Programs Nutritious, domestically sourced and produced food provided to the National School Lunch Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service Program. Foods include high-quality vegetables, fruits, dairy products, whole grains, lean meats, and other protein items. State distributing agencies administer the program at the State level. This may or may not be the same State agency that administers the Child Nutrition Programs. States receive a certain value of USDA foods, known as USDA entitlement funds, based on a formula.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Provides free, fresh fruits and vegetables to children at eligible elementary schools during the school day. Goal is to introduce children to new fresh fruits and vegetables and increase their acceptance and consumption of the produce. FFVP also incorporates nutrition education Administered by State agencies which operate the FFVP through agreements with local school food authorities Schools must operate the NSLP in order to operate the FFVP FFVP prioritizes schools with the highest percentages of children certified as eligible for free and reduced price meals.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Works to improve the health of low-income elderly persons by supplementing their diets with nutritious, domestically sourced and produced food. Administered at the State level by the departments of health, social services, education, or agriculture State agencies store the USDA foods and distribute it to public and private nonprofit local agencies. Local agencies determine applicants eligibility and distribute the food to eligible participants along with nutrition education. Local agencies may also provide referrals to other welfare, nutrition, and healthcare programs. CSFP participants must be at least 60 years of age. States establish income limits that are at or below 130% of the federal poverty income guidelines. States may also establish other eligibility guidelines such as residency and nutritional risk.

Food Distribution on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) Provides USDA Foods to income eligible households living on or near Indian reservations Is an alternative to SNAP when there is no access to SNAP offices or authorized food stores Program is administered locally by either Indian Tribal organizations or an agency of a State government. Households must include at least one person who is a member of a federally recognized tribe. Households receive a food package..

Other FNS Efforts Disaster Assistance Community Food Systems FNS plays a vital role in providing supplemental nutrition assistance when a disaster occurs by coordinating with State, local, and voluntary organizations to: Provide food for shelters and other mass feeding sites Distribute food packages directly to households Offer program flexibilities to continue providing benefits to participants in need Approve eligible States’ requests to operate a disaster SNAP program FNS may also make emergency procurements of infant formula and food on request from a SA or FEMA. Community Food Systems: A system in which food production, processing distribution, and consumption are geographically integrated and benefit the local economy, people, and natural resources of a particular community. Community Food Systems include farm to school, farm to summer, and farm to CACFP as these efforts link local producers with schools and child/adult care sites to supply participants with fresh, local fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, dairy, and seafood. Farm to School is generally understood to include efforts that connect children with the source of their food through things such as hands on education, school gardens, taste tests, and farm field trips. USDA considers farm to school to be inclusive of many types of producers including farmers, ranches, and fishers.

For More Information: https://www.fns.usda.gov/ Since most nutrition assistance programs funded by the Food and Nutrition Service are administered at the State or local level, it is best to contact your particular State agencies for information. On the FNS website you will find easy access to State agency contact information for all of our programs.