PHOTO VIA SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
With school out for the summer, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida (Website) is calling on the community to help ensure children continue having access to healthy meals through the season, while school is out.
As part of the Florida Summer BreakSpot program, food bank volunteers prepare, pack and distribute free breakfasts, lunches and snacks for children and teens 18 and under. Most meals are served at traditional gathering sites and third places like community centers, schools and summer camps, where kids gather to eat onsite.
For the past two summers, Second Harvest has also partnered with No Kid Hungry Florida to offer a non-congregate meal service model for families who face barriers to accessing traditional sites. Under that model, caregivers can pick up a week’s worth of meal boxes at a designated time and location, making it easier for children to get nutritious breakfasts and lunches even if they can’t make it to the local community center.
Running a program at this scale depends heavily on community involvement, whether through volunteering time to help prepare and pack meals, donating funds to support the program’s reach, or simply spreading the word to families who may not know free meal resources are available to them this summer.
Those interested in supporting Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s hunger relief efforts, or in finding the nearest community food pantry, can visit FeedHopeNow.org for more information.
