Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2023
CONTACT
Micah McCoy
Communications Director
Email: micah.mccoy@ececd.gov.nm
Mobile: (505) 629–9575
1120 Paseo De Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87501
SANTA FE – The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (NM ECECD), Early Care Education and Nutrition, Family Nutrition Bureau announces that it will once again administer the Summer Food Service Program for Children (SFSP) in New Mexico to help address the gap in children’s nutritional needs during the summer months, and at other times when school meals are not available.
“When the school year ends, families should be focused on play and quality time together, not worrying about where their next meal is coming from,” said ECECD Cabinet Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky. “Research shows that nutritious meals are vital for healthy child development, and ECECD’s Summer Food Service Program fills a critical gap by providing free meals in communities throughout New Mexico during the summer break when many children who are at risk for hunger don’t have access to school meal programs.”
The SFSP is a federally funded program administered nationally by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered at the State level by the NMECECD. The primary purpose of the Program is to provide free meals to children, 18 years of age or under, from needy areas during the periods when area schools are closed for vacation during the summer months, during USDA authorized extensions of the Program and at other times when unanticipated school closures occur. No registration or enrollment is required. A person over 18 years of age who has a mental or physical disability (as determined by a State or local educational agency) and who participates during the school year in a public or private non-profit school program (established for the mentally or physically disabled) is also eligible to receive free meals. Organizations eligible for sponsorship are: (1) public or private nonprofit school food authorities; (2) public or private nonprofit residential camps; (3) units of local, municipal, county, tribal, State and Federal governments, (4) National Youth Sports Programs, and (5) private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations.
To find a meal site near you, please visit https://summerfoodnm.org or call 1-800-EAT-COOL (1-800-328-2665).
Organizations interested in administering and operating the Summer Food Service Program for Children at their local level, should contact the NM ECECD, Early Care Education and Nutrition, Family Nutrition Bureau at (505) 841-4856 or contact us by email via https://summerfoodnm.org
USDA Non-Discrimination Statement and Complaint Information
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter 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;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham launched the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) in 2020, making New Mexico among the first states to consolidate all early childhood programs and services under a single cabinet-level agency. Under this administration, ECECD has led the nation by expanding access to free New Mexico PreK, overseeing the largest investment in early childhood infrastructure in state history, and implementing cost-free child care for a majority of New Mexico families. Learn more about how ECECD supports children, families, and the early childhood professionals that serve our communities at nmececd.org. On Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @NewMexicoECECD.