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Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Q&A #2


On March 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued policy memorandum SFSP 08-2024, SP 15-2024: Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Questions and Answers #2.

This USDA policy memo provides additional guidance on non-congregate meal service in rural areas in the following topics: sponsor, site, and participant, eligibility; rural designations; state agency approval of non-congregate meal service; conditional non-congregate sites; parent or guardian meal pick-up; and monitoring requirements.

The complete policy can be viewed on the USDA Summer Meal Service web page External link opens in new window or tab..

A California Department of Education management bulletin on this topic is forthcoming.

Contact Information

If you have questions regarding this subject, please reach out to the Summer Nutrition Programs and Grants Unit by email at SFSP@cde.ca.gov.

Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Thursday, April 18, 2024
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