Contact: Johanna Elsemore at jelsemore@strength.org
Tallahassee, FL – Since COVID-19 first disrupted learning for students across Florida, No Kid Hungry has provided a total of $5 million in grants to schools and community organizations across the state that are providing free meals for kids. The funding has helped expand and improve meal programs to meet the increased need while also adapting to safely reach children regardless of where they’re learning.
The crisis of the past year has reversed a decade’s worth of progress toward ending child hunger. Today, more than 1.2 million kids across Florida could be facing hunger, a stark increase since the start of the pandemic.
“It’s been nearly a year since the pandemic upended daily life in Florida, putting many more children at risk of hunger. The economic devastation this has caused for families will continue even as case counts go down and Floridians are vaccinated. No Kid Hungry remains committed to supporting the meal programs that will be a critical lifeline for kids and families as we begin to rebuild from this crisis,” said No Kid Hungry Florida Director Sky Beard.
Grant funding from No Kid Hungry helps school districts and community organizations with the many added costs of operating during a pandemic, such as the staffing and equipment to expand and adapt their programs to meet increased need and safely reach kids using grab & go, delivery and other innovative models.
No Kid Hungry has also launched a text line to help families find free meals for kids and other food assistance. You can text “FOOD” or “COMIDA to 877-877 or visit No Kid Hungry’s Meal Finder Map to find resources in your community.
Since March, No Kid Hungry has granted to the following schools and nonprofits:
4Roots
A Kid’s Place of Tampa Bay
Alachua County School District
All Faiths Food Bank
American Heart Association, Inc.
America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend
Brighter Bites
Buccan Provisions
Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice, Inc.
Clay County District Schools
Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, Inc.
Community Cooperative, Inc.
Community Food Pantry
Community Hope Center
Crohn’s Charity Service Foundation
Cutting Edge Ministries Inc.
Daytona Dream Center
Duval County Public Schools
Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County
Early Learning Coalition of Pasco and Hernando Counties
E-Roadmap Corporation
Escambia County School District
Family Renew Community
Farm Share, Inc.
Feed the Need of Putnam County
Feeding Florida
Feeding South Florida, Inc.
Feeding Tampa Bay
Flagler County School District
Florida Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs
Florida Department of Health in Glades County
Florida Department of Health in Hendry County
Florida Food Force, Inc.
Florida Recreation and Park Association
Florida State Alliance of YMCAs Foundation
Food Brings Hope Inc.
Fort Pierce Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Hamilton County School District
Hebni Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Hernando County School District
Homestead Soup Kitchen
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Foundation
Kids In Distress, Inc.
Kidspack,Inc.
Lafayette District Schools
Leon County Schools
Leon County Schools
Little Smiles of Florida, Inc.
Madison County School District
Meals of Hope
Midwest Food Bank – Florida Division
Monroe County School District
New Beginnings of Tampa
Okeechobee County School District
One Heart for Women and Children, Inc.
Orange County Public Schools
Pace Center for Girls
Palm Beach County Food Bank, Inc.
People Helping People in Hernando County
Polk County Public Schools
Public Education Partnership of Winter Haven
Putnam School District
Redlands Christian Migrant Association
Santa Rosa County Schools
School District of Collier County
School District of Hillsborough County
School District of Manatee County
School District of Palm Beach County
St Petersburg Free Clinic
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Orlando
St. Matthew’s House
Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger
The Glades Initiative, Inc.
The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia
The Poverello Center, Inc.
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army Naples
The School Board of Broward County
The School Board of Miami-Dade County
The School District of Osceola County
The Society of St. Andrew, Inc
The Thomas Promise Foundation
Treasure Coast Food Bank
United Farmers Alliance LLC
United Food Bank and Services of Plant City
We Care Food Pantry, Inc.