TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will partner to provide summertime meals for Florida’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,” said Commissioner Nikki Fried. “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 https://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.

About the Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness: The FDACS Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness conducts, supervises, and administers child nutrition and commodity food distribution programs that are carried out using state or federal funds. The division provides outreach, guidance and training to child nutrition program sponsors, schools, school food service directors, parents and teacher organizations, and students about the benefit of fresh food produced in Florida. The division’s mission is to ensure that every child in Florida has access to a healthy, nutritious meal each day; increase awareness and consumption of Florida’s agricultural commodities; reduce food insecurity among Florida’s most vulnerable populations; and encourage healthy lifestyle among Florida residents. The FDACS Summer BreakSpot program annually provides between 14 and 16 million meals to children during the summer months. In 2021, the program served over 18.5 million meals through an additional 1,400 sites due to the COVID pandemic.

In accordance with federal civil rights law USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits.  Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.  Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online here, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

• Mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410

• Fax: (202) 690-7442
• E-mail: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

–FDACS