Schools districts continue to feed its students with free summer meal programs

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, (WINK) —With school out for the summer, keeping kids fed can add up fast. That's why school districts across Southwest Florida are beginning to roll out their free summer meal programs.

Lee County

The School District of Lee County and Summer BreakSpot are teaming up once again to help families by providing free breakfast and lunch meal kits.

Staff were busy packing hundreds, if not thousands, of 7-day meal kits on Friday, filled with shelf-stable foods like milk, cereal and peanut butter and jelly snacks, enough to cover a child's breakfast and lunch for an entire week over the summer.

Starting Monday, families can pick up a free kit each week between 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., unless otherwise noted, at six schools and eight community-based locations.

Schools:

• River Hall Elementary, 2800 River Hall Parkway
• The Alva School, 17500 Church Ave.
• Pine Island Elementary, 5360 Ridgewood Drive
• Gateway High School, 13820 Griffin Drive
• Harns Marsh Middle School, 1820 Unice Ave North
• Bayshore Elementary, 17050 Williams Road

Community-based locations:

• Charleston Park (8:30 to 9:00 a.m.), 2541 Charleston Park Dr.
• Palms at Pine Island, 15061 Stringfellow Road
• Bonita Springs Fire Station #24, 27701 Bonita Grande Dr.
• Crystal Lake Park, 4307 NW 36th Street
• Buckingham Community Church, 10960 Orange River Blvd
• Buckingham Community Park, 9800 Buckingham Road
• Prairie Pines Preserve (8:30 to 9:00 a.m.), 18400 N. Tamiami Trail North
• Lee County Posse Arena, 17401 Palm Creek Drive

All parents need to bring is a student's school ID, report card or any document for however many children need a meal kit.

Bonnie Ross, field manager with food and nutrition services (FNS), said the program is responding to a real need in Southwest Florida.

"Where they traditionally we'd be feeding them at the camps, we're seeing lower participation, so that only tells us that people are trying to make the budget last longer, so this is a great opportunity," Ross said. "You don't even need to be in need of food. We feed your child every day, right? Monday through Friday, breakfast and lunch, so you know what, let us continue to do it during the summer."

Kits will be available every Monday until July 27th.

Charlotte County

Free meals will be available to children 18 and under starting Monday at multiple locations across Charlotte County.

Charlotte County Public Schools says walk-ins are welcome and there will be no service at any of these locations on Friday, July 3rd. For more information, go to www.summerbreakspot.org/find-location/

Collier County

Collier County Public Schools is also partnering with Summer Breakspot, offering free meals to those 18 years old and under over the summer.

Below are the dates and locations:

• Golden Gate Elementary- June 2 to July 24
• Parkside Elementary- June 2 to July 24
• Mike Davis Elementary- June 2 to July 23
• Palmetto Elementary- June 2 to July 22
• Golden Terrace Elementary- June 8 to July 17
• Poinciana Elementary- June 8 to June 30
• Golden Gate High School- June 8 to June 30
• Naples Park Elementary- June 2 to July 22
• Golden Gate Middle School- July 1 to July 24
• Lake Trafford Elementary- June 3 to June 30
• Highlands Elementary- July 1 to July 23
• Eden Park Elementary- June 3 to July 10
• Immokalee Middle School- June 1 to July 24

The school district has not provided the times the meals will be available. For more information, go to www.summerbreakspot.org/find-location/

Glades County

Glades County Schools and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are teaming up to offer free nutritious meals to children at multiple locations throughout the week.

Mondays

⌲ Palmdale Community Center

483 Main Ave., Palmdale, FL 33946

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

⌲ Glades County Public Library

201 Riverside Dr. SW, Moore Haven, FL 33471

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Tuesdays

⌲ Lakeport Community Center

1239 Red Barn Rd. N.W., Moore Haven, FL 33471

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

⌲ Buckhead Ridge Volunteer Fire Department

30076 FL-78, Okeechobee, FL 34974

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

⌲ Chalo Nitka Park

301 10th St., Moore Haven, FL 33471

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Wednesdays

⌲ St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church

24965 US 27, Moore Haven, FL 33471

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

⌲ Holy Martyrs Catholic Church

4290 Crescent Ave. S.W., LaBelle, FL 33935

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

⌲ Muse Community Center

3897 Lohlolly Bay Rd. SW, LaBelle, FL 33935

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

Thursdays

⌲ Ortona Community Center

2086 Ortona Locks Rd., Moore Haven, FL

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

⌲ A.M.E. Church

919 Tobias St. #917, Moore Haven, FL 33471

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

⌲ Horseshoe Acres

1167 Hobbelle Ln., Moore Haven, FL 33471

9:30 AM – 10:30 AM

The program started on Monday, and so far, Glades County Schools said they distributed over 1,000 meal boxes, more than 15,000 meals.

The school district said these numbers represent children and families across the county receiving nutritious meals while school is out.

Glades County Schools said any family with school-aged children, grandkids visiting, are all encouraged to visit one of the meal distribution sites.

Every child who shows up receives a meal box containing 7 meals—one for each day of the week. The district said these meals are free, convenient, and designed to help ensure children stay healthy and nourished throughout the summer.

Hendry County

Hendry County Schools and Sodexo announced free summer meals for children.

As of Wednesday, all children up to 18-years-old can receive meals at no cost through the Summer Food Service program.

The meals will be available at participating school sites for students enrolled in summer programs.

The program aims to serve children in the community throughout the summer season.

Families can contact Hendry County Schools for more information about participating locations and program details.

DeSoto County

DeSoto County Schools is running its Summer Break Spot Program through June and July, offering free healthy meals to children and teens 18 and younger at multiple locations across the county.

• Minnie L. Brown Center (Multi-day meal pick-up), from 1:15 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays only from June 1 to July 31.
• Heron Cove (Multi-day meal pick-up), from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays only from June 1 to July 31.
• Nocatee Elementary School (Multi-day meal pick-up & food pantry), from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays from June 4 to July 29.
• DeSoto Public Library (Lunch), from 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays from June 8 to July 30.
• Casa San Juan Bosco (Breakfast and Lunch), from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays from June 8 to July 23.
• West Elementary School (Breakfast and Lunch), from 7:15 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays from June 1 to July 30.
• Memorial Elementary School (Food Pantry Only), from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays from June 3 to July 29.

Families can choose from breakfast, lunch, multi-day meal pick-ups and food pantry options depending on the site.

There is no cost to families, though meals are not served on Fridays.

DeSoto County Schools also launched its Summer Food Program, giving out free weekly meal bags to children 18 and under.

Each bag comes packed with 14 meals, covering a full week of breakfasts and lunches.

Families can pick up the bags every Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Speer Center, located at 185 W. Winifred St. in Arcadia. It started on Wednesday and runs through August 5th.

No registration is needed, just show up during serving hours.