TDHS Opens 2026 Application Cycle for Summer Food Service Program with Target to Expand Rural Non-Congregate Feeding Options

NASHVILLE, TN – The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) announced today that the application for the 2026 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is now open until May 1, 2026 for organizations interested in becoming a SFSP sponsor. The program aims to ensure children 18 and younger, who benefit from school meal programs, continue to have access to nutritious meals during the summer months.

Each year, TDHS partners with food sponsors across the state to provide these meals. The program traditionally runs from the end of May to August when the next school semester begins.

“In 2025, the Summer Food Service Program, provided more than seven million meals to children across Tennessee,” commented TDHS Commissioner Clarence H. Carter. “That impact is only possible because of strong community partners who step up to serve. As we open the 2026 application cycle, we encourage organizations across the state to join us in this vital work and help us ensure every child has access to nutritious meals during the summer months.”

While the SFSP has historically operated in most areas of the state, the program is focused on serving rural counties that have little to no SFSP meal sites including Benton, Carroll, Carter, Cocke, Fayette, Grainger, Houston, Humphreys, Johnson, Lauderdale, Marshall, Moore, Rhea, and Sequatchie. TDHS is actively recruiting sponsors to serve these counties and welcomes additional sponsors for every county across Tennessee.

If your organization is interested in becoming a SFSP sponsor or becoming a meal site under an existing sponsor, please contact the Tennessee Department of Human Services by e-mail at TNSFSP.DHS@tn.gov. For more information on the Summer Food Service Program, please visit the TDHS website.

In addition to children of school age, adults 19 and older with a mental or physical disability are eligible to receive free meals if they participate in a school program established for individuals with disabilities during the prior school year.

Parents interested in finding a Summer Food Service Program feeding location near them are encouraged contact the TDHS Summer Food Service Program main line at 615-313-4749 or contact their local school as the end of the school year approaches.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

fax: 

(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

email: 

Program.Intake@usda.gov

 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Learn more about the Tennessee Department of Human Services.