Get SET Open House and Tour Notes
●What is the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program?
○Federal funding through reimbursement provided to afterschool programs located in high need areas that wish to serve (or are currently serving) a meal or snack to their youth.
○Programs can receive reimbursement for up to one meal and/or one snack
○Operated in our state by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA)
○Reimbursement is $2.77/meal (plus $0.22 cash in lieu of commodities making it $2.99/meal) and $0.76/snack. This figure goes up every July.
●The application process
○To start the process contact NJDA: (609) 984-1250
○Not an intimidating as it may seem
○If you are sponsoring your own program (meaning you will be handling all of the administrative and financial responsibilities), you must attend a training held by NJDA that will teach you everything you need to know about administering the At-Risk Program and filling out the application.
○You DO NOT have to have individual eligibility applications for each child in your program, which makes the process much easier than other programs
○You have 90 days from the last day of the NJDA training to schedule an appointment to have your application reviewed by a Child Nutrition Program Specialist.
○If you have a person who does your bookkeeping, they should be able to create your budget without a problem.
TIPS:
●If you don’t already have it, strike up a good relationship with the principal and especially the secretaries at your local school.
○You will need their cooperation to get the paper singed that says the school is area eligible (at least 50% of the kids on free or reduced priced lunch)
○Start working on this early in the process, it could take some time
●If your kitchen doesn’t look like it’s going to pass inspection, this may not be the end of the line for you!
○The inspectors should help you identify what changes are necessary to pass.
○If you have peeling paint – a new coat is not that expensive and can go a long way.
●If you need help refurbishing your kitchen and dining spaces to qualify for a program, then contact a Bonner coordinator for help recruiting volunteers.
●Sponsors
○If you feel your program may not have the administrative or financial resources to operate the At-Risk Program, another organization can take you on as a site (as often happens with the Summer Food Service Program).
○Sponsors attend the training held by NJDA and sponsored sites simply receive meals and take meal counts when they are served.
○Locating a sponsor, if you don’t already have an organization in mind that may be willing to take on the responsibility, can take a bit of time.
●NJSACC: the Network for NJ’s Afterschool Communities can help you through the process of applying for the At-Risk Program. NJSACC can provide resources and advice, talk you through the process one-on-one, help work with you to locate a sponsor if you are in need, and plan with you as to your next steps.
●Karson Foods – the vendor for the Get SET After School Program
○Bob Kardane - owner (732) 922-1900.
○They provide hot and cold meal options in the mid-$2.00 range/meal
○Will provide any afterschool programs that need it a free oven and hot box to heat their meals and keep them the correct temperature after they are heated, but before they are served.
○Can provide food to any part of the state
○Know the meal requirements for the At-Risk Program and will work with you to help develop your menu
○Deliver daily
○At the top of the “approved vendor list” put out by NJDA for Summer Meals.