The USDA, through the Massachusetts Department of Early and Secondary Education (DESE), enforces strict compliance to its rules and regulations concerning health, nutrition, safety, and non-discrimination, as well as record keeping and training.

  • DESE audits our financials, menus, meal counts, and employee records, and visits a sampling of our sites very 1-2 years. All audits/visits are unannounced.

  • All new sites must be cleared by DESE. Our Program Manager serves as our Site Supervisor, responsible for visiting each site (new and old) at required intervals each summer and completing all USDA reports covering general set up and compliance with safety protocols, meal service supervision, record keeping, and other measures.

  • We communicate information on each site to the health departments in each town each year, including dates, meal times, and number of children expected. The Orleans Health Department inspects our kitchen at Holy Spirit annually. At least one Serv-Safe trained person on our staff is present at all times.

  • Our staff and the staffs of our recreation partners are trained each year on the latest USDA policies and procedures. Everyone must complete training each year.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: USDA Discrimination Complaint Form , from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant's name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
email: program.intake@usda.gov

F4K’s finances are kept separate and independent of the Church of the Holy Spirit; there is no co-mingling of funds. In addition, Food 4 Kids’ operation is reviewed by the church’s Finance Committee before, during, and after each summer. And F4K’s financials are reviewed each year when the church financials are audited.