Become a Distribution Site for the Free Summer Food Program

School's Out Cafe is the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsored by the City of St. Louis that runs from June-August and serves children 18 and under who need meals during the summer.

Any neighborhood group, church, vacation bible school, youth program, block unit, food pantry, or concerned group of residents can become a summer feeding site. A food site can be indoors or outdoors, in a fellowship hall or in a parking lot.

A food site can select to operate for one week or for the entire summer. You will be serving free meals that meet federal nutrition guidelines. Already prepared breakfast and lunch meals are delivered to each of the sites under the City's sponsorship.

The Dept. of Human Services provides training to all summer food service sites, and no prior experience is required in order to participate as a site.

Prepare answers to the questions on the application form. If you need assistance with some of the questions, you can call Youth and Family Services at (314) 657-1654.

Federal regulations require that all participating agencies receive mandatory training on program operations. All personnel in charge of receiving meal deliveries, taking attendance, monitoring meal service and completing SFSP paperwork are required to attend and are expected to be in attendance throughout the entire SFSP training.

Trainings are three hours long and take place at the end of May. Call Youth and Family Services at (314) 657-1654 to inquire about training dates and location to make sure you and your personnel can attend.

1. Fill out the application form and mail or deliver it to
   
   1520 Market St.
   Room 4065
   St. Louis, MO 63103
   
   OR
   
   Call Youth and Family Services at (314) 657-1654 and they will take your application over the phone.
2. Once your application is completed and received, it is forwarded to the State for approval.

Call (314) 657-1654

It usually takes about a week for State approval. If your potential site has not been contacted in a week, you may call Youth and Family Services for information.

Once your application is approved, Youth and Family Services will contact you regarding next steps.