BRADENTON, Fla. — With food costing more, and many families struggling, the Summer Break Spot program is helping feed thousands of children this summer.
It’s a federal program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and officials with the School District of Manatee County say they’ve seen a steady increase in the number of families taking advantage of it in recent years.
“It’s really important that kids stay fed over the summer, so that when they come back to school they’re ready to learn, they have the proper nutrition,” said Skye Grundy, the School District of Manatee County’s Supervisor of Student Nutrition.
On Wednesday, Skye helped at one of the mobile Summer Break Spots — a school bus turned mobile meal service that brings breakfast and lunch to kids in Manatee County.
Skye said the School District of Manatee County facilitates the Summer Break Spot program with 65 locations, including some mobile locations.
“We started this about eight years ago, and we were going to be happy if we got 20 people to show up to a mobile spot," she said. "And now we serve almost 300 a day at Lincoln Park, so it’s really taken off."
Anyone under the age of 18 can come out for a free meal. There’s no registration or application needed, but despite the need, the school district says it is forced to raise the price of school lunch this coming school year. Lunch for elementary school students will go up $0.35 to $3.10, and secondary school lunch will go up $0.40 to $3.40.
“Unfortunately, with the situation with inflation the last few years, we’ve had to keep pace with our meal prices," said Regina Thoma, the School District of Manatee County’s director of Food & Nutrition Services. "Fortunately for us in Manatee County, breakfast is free for all students, at all schools, regardless of income. We also have 25 schools this year that will be part of the USDA’s Community Eligibility Program where lunch will also be free for the students at those schools.”
Thomas said that food at schools isn’t funded by the school district. It’s self-sustaining, and the funding comes from the USDA through the Florida Department of Agriculture. She says there has been a 19% increase in food prices over the last two years, a 16% increase in utility costs, and a 10% increase in labor costs.
With only 14,000 students in Manatee County who are considered “full pay," Thomas said no student will go hungry. However, since pandemic programs that provided free meals to all students are now over, more families may find themselves needing some help.
“If you do feel that you can qualify for meal benefits that you please apply," she said. "It’s an important resource that’s available to our community."
Applications for benefits for free or reduced lunch will become available in July.