Summer should be a time for kids to enjoy the outdoors, play with friends, and take a break from school. However, for many families in Florida, summer is the hungriest time of the year. When school meals are no longer available, families face increased challenges in providing enough food for their children. This lack of access to nutritious meals can lead to both short- and long-term health challenges and exacerbate the “summer slide,” making it harder for kids to return to school ready to learn.
No Kid Hungry Florida is proud to support initiatives such as free summer feeding sites, which provide healthy meals at no cost to kids and teens in familiar places such as parks, pools, libraries, schools, and recreation centers. These meals are free for all children and teens ages 18 and under, with no application, registration, proof of income, or immigration status required—kids can simply show up and enjoy a meal. During our visits to several sites across the state, we have seen firsthand how these programs not only provide free meals but also create spaces for kids to make friends and have fun during the summer months.
Summer meal site at Lake Mary Elementary, Seminole County.
A significant advancement in our summer meal efforts is the implementation of various non-congregate meal models, which have allowed more families to access summer meals, significantly impacting our fight to end summer hunger. One example of these models allows families to pick up meals in bulk and bring them home, rather than having to visit the site for one meal at a time. This flexibility is especially important for families in rural areas who often encounter significant transportation barriers. By allowing them to collect meals for the entire week in a single visit, it also helps families save valuable time during their busy summer days.
Non- congregate summer meal site at the Boys and Girl Club of Key West, FL.
To make it easier for families to find these summer meal sites, No Kid Hungry developed a texting line. By texting “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 304-304 or visiting the Free Meal Finder map at NoKidHungry.org/Help, kids and caretakers can quickly locate nearby meal sites. This texting line is just one example of how we support these amazing summer programs beyond providing grants. Our grants help expand their capacity by enabling them to purchase essential kitchen appliances and improve their services to reach more families. But we also offer critical resources other than granting, such as technical assistance and sharing best practices established through No Kid Hungry’s work across our state and the nation.
Join us in celebrating these vital initiatives and the incredible impact they have on our communities. Together, we can make sure that every child has access to the nutritious meals they need to thrive all year round.