Purpose
Ensuring nutritious meals and snacks are served to over 800 children a day in 75 family day homes that serve low-income communities.

Description
Basic nutrition is a building block to a healthy child, yet many disadvantaged children would go without hot meals or nutritious snacks without intervention. Spoonfuls ensures that these children don’t fall through the cracks by administering the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program to Family Day Home Providers. Through this program, homes which provide childcare to enrolled children aged birth to 12 years, are able to serve meals that meet the health, safety and nutritional needs of the children served and receive reimbursement for the cost of those meals.

Services Provided
• Workshops and training for caregivers on nutrition, health, safety and recordkeeping accuracy
• Quarterly monitoring of all facilities to ensure the health, safety and nutritional needs of the children are being met

Benefits
• Daily, quality, nutritious meals for low-income children
• Trained and monitored administration of meals
• Regular reimbursement for daycare providers

History
Porter-Leath began sponsoring the local version of this federal food assistance program in the early 1980’s.

Other Facts
• Clients are recruited from other Porter-Leath programs, health fairs, community events, the Department of Human Services and other Porter-Leath partners.
• Funding is provided by the USDA, administered through the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS), and private donations.