A system is in place at Florida's public schools to make sure kids don't go hungry. During the school year, they can access free breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria, and they sometimes go home for the weekend with a backpack of food.
The state says half of Florida's children qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, but what happens when school is out? Summer hunger is the topic of today's Speaking Of.
The system changes in the summer, so keeping kids fed who otherwise may go hungry becomes the job of nonprofits and volunteers. They step in to fill that gap, which is helped by a federally funded program called Summer BreakSpot.
The program operates at schools, nonprofit organizations, and government entities like libraries.
In the summer, community volunteers like Pastor Charles Matlock are crucial in helping meet the need. Matlock leads The Bridge church in Madison, about an hour east of Tallahassee.
"Madison is one of the poorest counties in Florida," Matlock says. "It's our understanding through Second Harvest that every child in Madison County 18 years old and under qualifies for free lunches."
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Matlock says the gap is large when school meal programs go away in the summer.
"42% of the households here in Madison have children under the age of 18," Matlock says. "Often in a lot of our neighborhoods when school is out, they don't eat lunch."
Matlock says barriers to getting the food to families include limited transportation, shift work during odd hours, and a lack of grocery stores in rural areas.
The segment includes a chat with Second Harvest of the Big Bend interim CEO Jacob Reiter. "It can impact everyone, you know, whether it's situational or a symptom of poverty," Reiter says. "That's what's so important about the food bank - having a safety net for families who maybe need throughout the year, seasonally, or if a disaster hits."
We also have a farewell interview with outgoing CEO Monique Ellsworth, who says she's proud of the environment she and her team have created at the food bank.
"Second Harvest of the Big Bend has incredible retention of staff and volunteers," Ellsworth says. "When you walk in that building, it's built with love, run by people who love each other and love the work, and I want that to continue."
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