FDACS and USDA Partner for 2022 Summer BreakSpot
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried has announced the continued partnership between the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide summertime meals for Floirida’s school children.
To help provide Florida children with access to wholesome meals during summer break, the FDACS Division of Food Nutrition and Wellness partners with schools and organizations to provide free meals to kids and teens from low-income households. The Summer BreakSpot Program provides meals at no cost to children 18 and under while schools are closed for the summer.
“One of the most important missions of our department is providing access for all of Florida’s kids to healthy, nutritious meals regardless of family income,” Fried said. “Florida is home to one million children facing food insecurity, worsened by the pandemic. For many, Summer BreakSpot meals are the only meals on which they can rely. I encourage all Florida families facing food insecurity while school’s out to find a Summer BreakSpot location near you – by phone, text, or online.”
There are several ways to find a Summer BreakSpot site:
Dial 2-1-1
Text “Food” to 304-304
Visit www.summerbreakspot.org
Summer BreakSpot sites include open sites and camps (residential and non-residential). Open sites are sites where meals are available to all children in the area on a first-come, first-served basis. Acceptance and participation requirements for the program are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.
Summer BreakSpot is part of the National Summer Food Service Program, a federally funded program operated by the USDA. For more information, please visit SummerBreakSpot.org.
Hope Lutheran Church welcomes mobile food pantry
Hope Lutheran Church will once again host their mobile food pantry in the church parking lot, 2001 N. Park Rd., on Thursday, June 16.
This pantry, in association with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lakeland, will begin distributing food to those in need beginning at 6 p.m., running until the supplies are distributed. Anyone in need of grocery assistance is encouraged to join as Hope Lutheran works to help eliminate food insecurities within their local community.
Various goods ranging from vegetables to meats to dairy and bakery goods will all be available.
The pantry, “Moving Hope,” takes place at Hope Lutheran Church on the third Thursday of each month, no identification is required to participate and the pantry is open to anyone in the Plant City community who may need an extra hand.
For additional information, contact the Hope Lutheran Church office at 813-752-4622.