Full Plates Full Potential

Programs: Summer food service program - from june to august of 2017, full plates full potential supported 11 summer food service program (sfsp) sponsors by funding initiatives to increase the number of federally reimbursed meals served to food insecure children in their communities during summer vacation. An additional $2,500 was invested in incentivizing five maine sponsors to host mid-summer 'spike events', with the goal of preventing mid-program participation drop-off. Funding was administered by good shepherd food bank. Grant recipients successfully increased the number of meals served in their communities by 28% over 2016, compared to the flat-growth the state saw across all sponsors during the same time frame. All five sponsors receiving our pilot mid-summer spike event awards avoided the common august participation dip, with 40% reportingan increase in participation. Full plates full potential granted 21 summer food service program (sfsp) sponsors for 2018 totaling $35,255. The goal of these initiatives is to increase the number of federally reimbursed meals served to food insecure children in their communities during summer vacation. These grants have the potential to help these twenty-one meal sites serve an additional 43,415 meals, which would mean nearly $170,000 in new usda spending. Additionally $3,600 was invested in 12 maine sponsors to host midsummer 'spike events', with the goal of preventing mid-program participation drop-off. Funding was administered by our partner good shepherd food bank. Fpfp also partnered with the horizon foundation and many feed kids vendors to increase our funding for summer sites. Funded initiatives included: equipment costs needed to support opening new sites, transportation costs, staffing and enrichment costs necessary to provide regular activities to attract and engage participating children.

full plates full potential school grant requests that range from $250 to $4,000 to help remove barriers and connect more food insecure kids with nutritious meals. School breakfastthe school breakfast program remains underutilized: just over half of the low-income children who eat school lunch also eat school breakfast. The traditional school breakfast program served before school in the cafeteria misses too many children and creates unnecessary obstacles for low-income families. Strategies that move breakfast out of the cafeteria and into the classroom are the most successful at overcoming barriers to participation. School lunchthe school lunch program remains the most utilized program with 61% of eligible low-income children participating. Most school lunch programs are served in the same traditional cafeteria that you remember. They are important strategies to make school lunch more attractive to all children including food composition and quality, student engagement in menu planning and increasing the time period for students to eat.

the child and adult care food program (cacfp) at-risk afterschool meals grant program, will reimburse sponsors for direct expenses related to increasing the number of usda reimbursed meals served during out-of-school hours (including afterschool, weekends,and holidays) to at-risk children throughout the school year. Grant funding will be utilized for initiatives aimed at increasing participation that fall outside of the usda's reimbursements, particularly those targeted at increasing access amongst rural and other underserved populations. Projects and budgetary line items eligible for consideration will include the following:- staffing and enrichment costs necessary to provide enrichment activities to attract and engage children- staffing costs required to plan, prep, prepare, and serve meals to at-risk children- equipment needed to support opening new and/or operating sites (kitchen equipment, coolers, tables, etc. )- outreach costs for enhanced marketing and advertising to eligible participants and their families- transportation costs associated with serving multiple or mobile sites and/or with providing busing options for participants