# Summer Food Service Program *Federal child-nutrition program under section 13 of the National School Lunch Act. It descends from a 1968 amendment to that Act and was separated from its sister program in 1975.* The **Summer Food Service Program** (SFSP) is a federal child-nutrition program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's [[Food and Nutrition Service]].[^1] Its authority is section 13 of the [[National School Lunch Act]]. [[Public Law 90-302]] added that section on May 8, 1968 as the [[Special Food Service Program for Children]].[^2] Public Law 94-105 made it the Summer Food Service Program for Children in 1975.[^3] In [[Minnesota]], the [[Minnesota Department of Education]] (MDE) administers the program.[^4] The program appears in the Minnesota record through the [[Feeding Our Future]] case. In June 2024 the [[Office of the Legislative Auditor (Minnesota)]] reviewed MDE's oversight of the nonprofit. The review names SFSP and the [[Child and Adult Care Food Program]] (CACFP) as the programs at issue. It found that MDE "failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic."[^4] The U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted the case. Its sentencing release describes the money only as [[Federal Child Nutrition Program]] funds.[^5] USDA's own program-history page for SFSP now returns an archived-content notice.[^6] The program's lineage is therefore documented here through the [[Statutes at Large]].[^2][^3] ## Who - Congress created the program's authorizing section in Public Law 90-302 (82 Stat. 117).[^2] It divided that section in Public Law 94-105 (89 Stat. 511).[^3] It renamed the sister section in Public Law 101-147.[^7] The record assembled here does not show the sponsors or party votes for these enactments. - [[Orville Freeman]] was [[Secretary of Agriculture]] from January 21, 1961 to January 20, 1969. Public Law 90-302 was enacted during that tenure.[^8] - Freeman was the first person President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed at the signing of the [[Child Nutrition Act of 1966]]. The remarks open: "Secretary Freeman, Senator Ellender, Members of the Congress:"[^9][^10] - The Food and Nutrition Service runs the program federally.[^1] The agency's SNAP history page now resolves at an fna.usda.gov address, and the former fns.usda.gov path redirects there. The project's dossier records that the agency has been renamed the Food and Nutrition Administration.[^11] ## What - Public Law 90-302 added section 13 to the Act under the heading *SPECIAL FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN*. The section funded meals served through "private, nonprofit institutions or public institutions, such as child day-care centers, settlement houses, or recreation centers."[^2] - In 1975, Public Law 94-105 split the section into two programs:[^3] - section 13 became the Summer Food Service Program for Children; - a new section 17 became the Child Care Food Program. - In 1989, section 105(a) of Public Law 101-147 renamed section 17 the Child and Adult Care Food Program.[^7] - The Institute of Medicine traces the same descent: "In 1968, CACFP began as a small 3-year pilot program called the Special Food Service Program for Children."[^12] ## When - **October 11, 1966:** The Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-642, 80 Stat. 885) was approved. Section 4 set up a pilot [[School Breakfast Program]], and section 3 reauthorized the Special Milk Program.[^13][^14] - **May 8, 1968:** Public Law 90-302 added the Special Food Service Program for Children as section 13 of the National School Lunch Act.[^2] - **October 7, 1975:** Public Law 94-105 divided section 13 and created section 17.[^3] - **November 10, 1989:** Public Law 101-147 renamed section 17.[^7] ## How - The 1968 section delivered meals through nonprofit and public institutions. Its examples are child day-care centers, settlement houses and recreation centers. Section 13(a)(2) covered the summer months.[^2] - During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], on June 1, 2020, the Food and Nutrition Service issued a *Nationwide Waiver to Allow Site Monitoring Flexibility in the Summer Food Service Program*.[^15] ## How much - The 1968 section authorized $32,000,000 for each of three fiscal years: those ending June 30, 1969, June 30, 1970 and June 30, 1971.[^2] ## In the at-issue record The project's record pairs the program with the Minnesota docket in three entries. Each is anchored to the March 2025 presidential action *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos*.[^16] - [[At issue 004 - The Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor names]]: The Legislative Auditor names CACFP and SFSP and identifies MDE as the agency that administers both.[^4] Both programs descend from section 13 as enacted in 1968.[^2] The Justice Department's release uses only the umbrella term.[^5] - [[At issue 087 - USDA's own legislative-history pages for CACFP and the]]: USDA's program-history pages for SFSP and CACFP now return an archived-content notice.[^6][^17] The agency's history pages now sit under a renamed domain.[^11] - [[At issue 088 - In 1975 Congress split the Special Food Service]]: Congress divided the 1968 program in 1975 and renamed the child-care branch in 1989.[^3][^7] In Minnesota, both branches are administered by the same state agency.[^4] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - The Legislative Auditor's review states: "The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is responsible for administering these programs in Minnesota."[^4] - The United States Attorney prosecuted Feeding Our Future in the [[United States District Court for the District of Minnesota]].[^5] - [[Aimee Bock]] was sentenced to 500 months on May 22, 2026. At sentencing, [[Judge Nancy Brasel]] said: "This was a fraud vortex and you were at the epicenter of it."[^5] - On January 28, 2025, two defendants pleaded guilty:[^18] - a co-owner of [[Safari Restaurant]]; - Abdi Nur Salah, a former senior aide to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. ### What - The Legislative Auditor names "the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)." It found that MDE "failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic."[^4] - The review also reports FY2021 and April 2021 figures:[^4] - roughly four of every ten FY2021 dollars distributed to nonprofit CACFP and SFSP sponsors, a figure tied to $140.3 million; - 194 sites and 11.8 million meals in April 2021. The excerpt available to this article does not fully state what each figure measures. - The Justice Department's release makes four statements:[^5] - Feeding Our Future was "a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program"; - it "submitted these fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)"; - it disbursed "fraudulently obtained Federal Child Nutrition Program funds" to co-conspirators; - the release does not name CACFP or SFSP. ### When Defendant counts differ across sources (70, 75, 79 and 80 all appear), so each count below is dated to its source. - **June 2024:** The Legislative Auditor issued its special review.[^4] - **January 28, 2025:** The Safari Restaurant co-owner and the former mayoral aide pleaded guilty.[^18] - **September 4, 2025:** The U.S. Attorney's Office announced its 75th charged defendant. This is the highest-ranked count in the record.[^19] - **May 22, 2026:** Aimee Bock was sentenced.[^5] - **July 28, 2026:** The *Sahan Journal* charging tracker reported 80 people charged.[^20] - **August 19, 2026:** The *Sahan Journal* plea tracker reported 68 convictions: 61 guilty pleas and 7 jury convictions.[^21] ### Where - According to the Justice Department, Feeding Our Future opened "more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota."[^5] - The project's dossier identifies Safari Restaurant in [[Minneapolis]] as the largest single identified site. The U.S. Attorney's Office states that it "received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds."[^18] - The project's validation report records that no county-level dollar breakdown has been published. Neither the Justice Department[^5] nor the Legislative Auditor[^4] publishes one, and no tracker does either. ## Omissions in official accounts The Justice Department's May 22, 2026 sentencing release uses only the umbrella term Federal Child Nutrition Program and does not name CACFP or SFSP.[^5] The Legislative Auditor's June 2024 review names both programs and the state agency that administers them.[^4] ## Notes [^1]: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, *Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)* — the program as an FNS program. https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-food-service-program [^2]: U.S. Congress, *Public Law 90-302, 82 Stat. 117* (May 8, 1968). Adds NSLA §13 under the heading "SPECIAL FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN" and authorizes "$32,000,000 for each of the three fiscal years ending June 30, 1969, June 30, 1970, and June 30, 1971." Also contains the institutions language and §13(a)(2) summer coverage. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-82/pdf/STATUTE-82-Pg117.pdf [^3]: U.S. Congress, *Public Law 94-105, 89 Stat. 511* (October 7, 1975). Splits NSLA §13 into the "SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN" and creates a new §17 Child Care Food Program. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-89/pdf/STATUTE-89-Pg511.pdf [^4]: Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, *Minnesota Department of Education: Oversight of Feeding Our Future*, Special Review (June 2024). Names CACFP and SFSP, states that MDE administers them in Minnesota, records MDE's failure to act on warning signs, and gives the FY2021 dollar share ($140.3M) and the April 2021 site and meal counts. https://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/sreview/pdf/2024-mdefof.pdf [^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, *Feeding Our Future Ringleader Sentenced to 500 Months* (May 22, 2026). Covers the forum, the claims submitted to MDE, the more than 250 sites, the sentence and Judge Brasel's statement. Uses the umbrella term and does not name CACFP or SFSP. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/feeding-our-future-ringleader-sentenced-500-months [^6]: U.S. Department of Agriculture, *SFSP program history* (page now returns an archived-content notice) — cited as dead. https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/program-history [^7]: U.S. Congress, *Child and WIC Reauthorization Act of 1989, Public Law 101-147* (November 10, 1989). Section 105(a) amends the heading of NSLA §17 to "CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM." https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-103/pdf/STATUTE-103-Pg877.pdf [^8]: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (NARA), *Officials of the Kennedy Administration* — Freeman's dates as Secretary of Agriculture. https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/life-of-john-f-kennedy/fast-facts-john-f-kennedy/officials-of-the-kennedy-administration [^9]: American Presidency Project, *Remarks at the Signing of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966* (October 11, 1966) — the opening words addressed to Secretary Freeman. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-the-signing-the-child-nutrition-act-1966 [^10]: LBJ Presidential Library, *Remarks at the Signing of the Child Nutrition Act* (October 11, 1966) — library copy of the remarks. https://www.lbjlibrary.org/object/text/remarks-signing-child-nutrition-act-10-11-1966 [^11]: U.S. Department of Agriculture, *A Short History of SNAP* — the agency history page now served at fna.usda.gov, to which the former fns.usda.gov path redirects. https://www.fna.usda.gov/snap/history [^12]: Institute of Medicine, *Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All* (2011), ch. 2 — the 1968 origin of the program lineage. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209814/ [^13]: U.S. Congress, *Child Nutrition Act of 1966, Public Law 89-642, 80 Stat. 885* (October 11, 1966). Section 4 creates the breakfast pilot program; section 3 reauthorizes the Special Milk Program. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-80/pdf/STATUTE-80-Pg885.pdf [^14]: Social Security Administration, *Compilation of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966* — codified text of P.L. 89-642. https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/comp2/F089-642.html [^15]: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, *Nationwide Waiver to Allow Site Monitoring Flexibility in the Summer Food Service Program* (June 1, 2020) — the waiver and its date. https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/covid19/sites-monitoring [^16]: The White House, *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos* (March 2025) — the presidential action to which the project anchors the three at-issue entries. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/stopping-waste-fraud-and-abuse-by-eliminating-information-silos/ [^17]: U.S. Department of Agriculture, *CACFP legislative history* (page now returns an archived-content notice) — cited as dead. https://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/legislative-history [^18]: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, *Former Minneapolis Mayoral Aide and Safari Restaurant Co-Owner Both Plead Guilty* (January 28, 2025). States that Safari Restaurant "received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds" and identifies Abdi Nur Salah as a former senior aide to Mayor Frey. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/former-minneapolis-mayoral-aide-and-safari-restaurant-co-owner-both-plead-guilty-250 [^19]: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, *75th Defendant Charged in Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme* (September 4, 2025) — DOJ's own count of 75 defendants as of that date. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/75th-defendant-charged-feeding-our-future-fraud-scheme [^20]: *Sahan Journal*, *Feeding Our Future charging tracker* (updated July 28, 2026) — "Eighty people have been charged," as of that update. https://sahanjournal.com/news/feeding-our-future-indictments-who-charged-food-fraud-minnesota/ [^21]: *Sahan Journal*, *Feeding Our Future guilty-plea tracker* (August 19, 2026) — 68 convictions, made up of 61 guilty pleas and 7 jury convictions. https://sahanjournal.com/public-safety/feeding-our-future-food-aid-fraud-investigation-guilty-pleas/