The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is calling on organizations statewide to join the effort to ensure children have access to nutritious meals over the summer. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), served more than 4.3 million meals and snacks in 2024 — a 12 percent increase from the previous year. Illinois had 144 SFSP sponsors and 1,585 meal sites in 2024. An additional 187 sponsors with 379 sites participated through the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), a similar program for school districts already operating the National School Lunch Program. SSO sponsors served an additional 923,263 meals and snacks — a 13.5 percent increase from 2023. Summer Meals programs operate in 74 of the state’s 102 counties.  Organizations interested in participating in ISBE’s Summer Food Service Program in 2025 can obtain more information by calling 800-545-7892, emailing cnp@isbe.net, or visiting the ISBE SFSP webpage and/or the SSO webpage.