This is the training given to 2-1-1s contracted to answer calls for the Summer BreakSpot program. This training was conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Florida Impact on May 8, 2012.

1. FREE MEALS for kids and teens all summer long!
2-1-1 Helpline Training
2012
Florida Department of
Agriculture & Consumer
Services
USDA SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM

2. The Summer BreakSpot is
meant to fill the nutrition gap
so that children still have
access to nutritious meals
when school lets out for the summer
months… and they return to school in
the fall well-nourished
and ready to learn!
www.summerfoodflorida.org

3. PARTNERSHIP
“What is the Summer BreakSpot?
Is it different from the SFSP?”
Florida’s
SUMMER
= FOOD
SERVICE
PROGRAM
SAME PROGRAM!
The Summer BreakSpot is simply a branding mechanism to
help market the Summer Food Service Program more
easily, especially to teens. SFSP and the Summer BreakSpot
are the exact same program.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

4. SUMMER BREAKSPOT
Florida’s name for the
USDA Summer Food
Service Program, which
provides free meals and
snacks to all children 18
and under at non-profit
sites and schools in low-
income areas.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

5. THE PURPOSE
Ensure that children in low-
income areas have access
to nutritious meals while
school is not in session.
Provide federal
reimbursement to non-
profit meal providers for
every meal served.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

6. INCREASE ACCESS & AWARENESS
The Florida Department of
Agriculture, the Florida
Partnership to End Childhood
Hunger and 2-1-1 have
teamed up to increase
families’ awareness about the
Summer BreakSpot so that
more children can benefit
from this program.
Florida Department of
Agriculture & Consumer
Services
www.summerfoodflorida.org

7. PARTNERSHIP OUTREACH
Community Outreach Efforts
• Business Cards
• Television PSAs
• Bus Wraps
• Bus Shelters
• Yard Signs
• Door Hangers
• Magnets
• Billboards
• Posters
• Flyers
Many outreach pieces will
be multi-lingual.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

8. 2-1-1 OUTREACH
2-1-1 Community
Outreach Efforts
The 2-1-1s will also push information
through their own outreach
outlets, including
• Website banners and blurbs
• Community Events
• Facebook
• Email Blasts
• and More!
*This must be reported to DACS at summer’s
end.*
www.summerfoodflorida.org

9. 2-1-1 RESPONSIBILITIES
Information to
Provide to Callers
• Site Name
• Site Address
• Type of Site:
• OPEN– Meals made available on a
first-come, first-serve basis.
• OPEN-RESTRICTED – Limited
number of meals available due to
limited space or staff. Instruct
callers to contact the site first and
to show up to the meal service as
early as possible. www.summerfoodflorida.org

10. 2-1-1 RESPONSIBILITIES
Information to
Provide to Callers (cont.)
• Meal Times
• Dates of Operation*
• Site Contact
• Encourage families to call to
verify meal times and service
dates (Ex.: sites may not operate on
days like 4th of July or field trips)
www.summerfoodflorida.org

11. 2-1-1 RESPONSIBILITIES
Information to
Provide to Callers (cont.)
WWW.SUMMERFOODFLORIDA.OR
G
• Your tool to find a caller’s site
information!
• Real-time, up-to-date site details
• You should also refer families to
the website (esp. the PARENTS
section) as it contains much more
information about the program and
how it works.

12. FINDING A SITE
1) Click the “Find a Site” button.

13. FINDING A SITE
2) Fill in search criteria. (Zip, City, or County)
NOTE: More sites are added as summer approaches and more site
applications are approved in the system. If not many sites, inform callers of
this and recommend they call back/check the website closer to the time
when school closes.
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14. FINDING A SITE
3) Read off site addresses so that caller can tell you which
sounds closest. Click the name of that site.
NOTE: Pay attention to “Dates” to be sure the site is not closing soon. If the
site is closing soon, provide next closest site. You might also have to broaden
your search to the City or County level if you’ve chosen a smaller search area.
32301
32301

15. FINDING A SITE
4) Provide the site information to the caller.
NOTE: Only in this view is the Site Contact also visible. Also, this view gives
you street level detail of the site’s location in case it’s helpful to your call.

16. NO SITE NEARBY? PLEASE NOTE!
VERY IMPORTANT
IF THERE IS NOT SITE NEAR THE
CALLER
Please use the “Can’t Find A Site
Nearby?” link on the site map to make
a record of it. This will help DACS
and the local community pinpoint
where new sites need to be recruited
this summer or next summer!
www.summerfoodflorida.org

17. 2-1-1 RESPONSIBILITIES
Information to
Collect from Callers
and report to the Department at summer’s end
• Date & Time of Call
• Zip Code, City & County
• Where & How They Heard About
SFSP*
• Whether They Saw the TV PSA*
• Caller’s Language
(English, Spanish, Haitian Creole)
• Caller’s Gender
• Whether No Site Nearby (if
applicable)*
(Utilize “Can’t Find a Site Nearby?” button on
map page) www.summerfoodflorida.org

18. DIFFERENCE B/N “WHERE” & “HOW”
WHERE HOW
“From What Organization/Location” “How Heard (Media)”
What PLACE the caller may What ACTUAL MATERIAL the
have seen or received the caller may have seen or
information received that they got the
information off of
• School • Business Card
• Church • Poster
• Friend/Family • Actual Bus
• WIC Office/Clinic • PSA/Commercial
• Television • Word of Mouth
• Website
BOTH IMPORTANT! www.summerfoodflorida.org

19. 2-1-1 RESPONSIBILITIES
Other Callers with
Children
Even when families call with
questions unrelated to
summer meals, information
about the Summer BreakSpot
should be offered—especially
to those in search of
resources for food assistance.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

20. 2-1-1 RESPONSIBILITIES
Reporting Complaints
If callers call back with a complaint, please
collect the following and report by email
to Michelle Morris within 24 hours:
• Name of the person filing complaint (if they wish to
leave their name)
• Caller’s telephone number (so DACS can call them
back)
CONTACT
Michelle Morris • Date the event occurred
Michelle.Morris@ • County
freshfromflorida.com
• Site name & address
(850) 617-7430
1-800-504-6609 • Date and time 2-1-1 received complaint
(email preferred, but calls • What is the complaint: Denied meals, Food was
accepted)
not edible, Staff discourteous, No one was at the
www.summerfoodflorida.org
site, etc.

21. 2-1-1 RESPONSIBILITIES
Spikes in Calls
Spikes in the number of calls may be
experienced in some of the following
instances:
• First days of outreach campaign in
each county (typically just before school
ends)
• When TV/Radio PSAs air
• Local news features a story about
the program (TV & print)
• Websites feature the program
(especially ―pushdown‖ or ―takeover‖ ads on
news channel websites)
• Outreach information distributed at
www.summerfoodflorida.org
community events

22. More Questions?
Many of yours and the
callers’ questions about the
program can be also be
answered with the
“Answers to Frequently
Asked Questions”
document provided by the
Department of Agriculture.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

23. Frequently Asked ?s
What is the Summer BreakSpot?
FOR CALLERS: The Summer BreakSpot is a lot like the school
breakfast and lunch program, except that in the summer it’s free
for ALL kids 18 and under, so there’s no need to fill out any
application or anything. Meals sites are also located throughout
the community in places like parks and community centers. You
just find out where the nearest site is, and the kids go there to eat
during meal times. Sometimes it’s good to call before the first
time you go so that the site knows to expect you.
TECHNICAL ANSWER: The Summer BreakSpot is our state’s USDA
Summer Food Service Program. It is a federal nutrition program
that local non-profits and schools use to make sure kids in their
communities don’t go hungry during the summer.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

24. Frequently Asked ?s
What are the requirements for my child to receive a
meal? Do I have to fill out an application form?
There is no application necessary and any child 18 or younger can
simply come during meal times to receive a meal. However, we
do suggest that you give the site a call first to let them know that
your child may be coming during meal time. Some sites ask that an
adult or responsible teen accompany children during the meal time
because they don’t have staff to handle extra children that may not
be a part of their regular activity program.
Exception: A few sites (like overnight camps and sites in higher
income areas) do require that parents fill out a form about family
income in order for children to receive meals.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

25. Frequently Asked ?s
Is there a cost?
There is no cost for meals. USDA requires that meals be served at
no charge to the children. However, the site may have a fee set for
the separate activity program that some of them provide.
Meals, however, are free to all children.
Do these sites offer activities?
Many sites have enrichment activities, though some simply
provide meals. You can check the type of activities offered by the
site if you call them. Registration for the activity program may be
required.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

26. Frequently Asked ?s
Would transportation be available for my children?
If you are not within walking distance of a site, you will likely need
to arrange transportation. Transportation is sometimes available in
rural areas, or in conjunction with a site’s activity program. In most
urban areas, there are often sites within walking distance. If this is a
concern for you, you should contact the site and ask them if they
offer transportation.
Another option is to fill out the “Can’t Find a Site Near You?” survey
on the Find a Site page of www.summerfoodflorida.org (2-1-1
operators can fill this out for callers). This, however, may not result
in a new site nearby until the following year; though some sponsors
are in a position to set one up in the current summer if there is
enough demand.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

27. Frequently Asked ?s
Who funds this program?
The Summer Food Service Program is federally funded under the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) and, in Florida, administered by
the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS). Sites
are locally managed by non-profit organizations (the “Sponsors”) that
provide the meals to nearby sites and receive a reimbursement from
USDA through the Department of Agriculture.
For more information you can visit the ABOUT page on
WWW.SUMMERFOODFLORIDA.ORG.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

28. Frequently Asked ?s
What kind of food is served at these sites?
Summer Food sites serve nutritionally, balanced meals that meet
USDA guidelines. A typical meal might be a sandwich, a fruit and/or
vegetable, juice, and a milk.
To see sample menus, visit: www.frac.org/afterschool/menus.htm or
www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Summer/Administration/meal_patterns.html.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

29. Frequently Asked ?s
What should I do if I have a complaint about a site?
There are two ways you can submit a complaint:
1) A 2-1-1 operator can log your complaint and send it to the
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services'
Food, Nutrition, and Wellness Division. They may contact you after
receiving the complaint to get more information to handle your
grievance.
OR
2) Submit your complaint via the “Contact Us” page on
www.summerfoodflorida.org.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

30. Frequently Asked ?s
What should I do if I want to become a site?
Organizations interested in becoming sites should contact DACS at
1-800-504-6609 to get information on local sponsors that might still be
accepting site applications.
www.summerfoodflorida.org

31. TECH SUPPORT
Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services
Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness
1-800-504-6609
www.summerfoodflorida.org

32. Questions?
www.summerfoodflorida.org