Summer BreakSpot helps feed Fla.’s children while school’s out

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — To help ensure that Florida children have access to wholesome meals during summer break, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services partners with schools and organizations to provide free meals to kids and teens from low-income areas. The Summer BreakSpot Program provides meals at no cost to children 18 and under, while schools are closed for the summer. When Florida schools closed due to COVID-19, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried activated the Summer BreakSpot program early, enabling Summer BreakSpot providers to serve 74 million meals to children from March through August 2020.

“One of our top priorities is ensuring that all Florida kids have access 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 – and for many, Summer BreakSpot meals are the only meals on which they can rely. I encourage all Florida kids facing hunger while school’s out to find a Summer BreakSpot location near them by phone, text, or online.”

There are several ways to find a Summer BreakSpot site:

Dial 2-1-1
Text “FoodFL” to 877-877
Visit 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 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). For more information, please visit SummerBreakSpot.org.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (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 at: How to File a Complaint, 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; or
email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

–FDACS