Where some Floridians can get free meals for their children while schools are closed
Households concerned about feeding children while schools are closed during the novel coronavirus pandemic got a break Sunday when Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried activated the Summer BreakSpot website.
The website of the Summer Food Service Program tells people the nearest of the 934 BreakSpot sites serving meals to school age children during summer breaks. But the program is being deployed now because, according to Florida Department of Agriculture numbers, 71.9 percent of students in Florida public schools receive free or reduced lunches.
“Social distancing and avoiding crowded areas, like school cafeterias, are critical to slowing the spread of COVID-19. But we can’t let Florida’s children go hungry in the meantime,” Fried said. “That’s why we’re activating our Summer BreakSpot locations, to offer families an alternative way to find healthy, nutritious meals. For many children, these meals will be the only meals they can count on, so we’re encouraging families to take advantage of this service.”
The 934 sites are in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Alachua, Baker, Brevard, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Duval, Franklin, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Manatee, Marion, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Santa Rosa, and Seminole.
While there might be more locations added, some won’t be open during Spring Break, scheduled to start March 23 in many counties, including Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Palm Beach County School District. It starts March 20 for Broward County Public Schools.
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 5:48 PM.
