For many children, summer means fun and freedom—but for struggling families, it often means harder choices.
During the school year, families facing food insecurity can rely on free or reduced meals provided by the school to ensure their children don’t go hungry—and they can rely on programs like One More Child’s Backpack Meals to have food over the weekend. But during the summer, as the rhythm of school disappears, so does this rhythm of consistent meals.
But hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation.
This reality creates difficult choices for struggling families. As parents and caregivers work to provide for their children, they’re now also navigating childcare and covering the extra cost of meals.
Instead of choosing which vacation spot to visit this summer, struggling families often manage a different tension. Can they afford their basic needs and have enough left over to put food on the table? Does it make sense to pick up an extra shift or stay home to avoid the mounting cost of childcare? And what about keeping the air conditioning on during a sweltering summer day? Stretching the family budget a little further can seem like an impossible task.
This is what summer means for struggling families.
Seeking to Bridge the Gap
Thankfully, there are options to bridge the summer gap for hungry children.
Summer nutrition programs across the country provide free meals to children who might otherwise go hungry. But while programs exist across all states, accessibility and awareness are not as widespread.
Only 1 in 6 children who receive a free or reduced school lunch during the school year also receive a summer lunch, according to the Food Research & Action Center’s report Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: The Reach of Summer Meals.
Families in need of support for meals are either unaware or unable to access meals during the summer. One More Child is seeking to bridge that gap.
Being the Bridge
One More Child’s programs and initiatives provide vital, transformative support for vulnerable children and struggling families, including during the summer months:
BreakSpot and Backpack Meals
Across Florida, the Summer BreakSpot program offers meals and snacks at no cost for children and teens 18 and under, filling the hunger gap over the summer months. This federally funded program is run through local organizations, ensuring food reaches those who need it most.
One More Child’s headquarters in Lakeland, FL, is one of these BreakSpot locations where children can receive meals twice a day on weekdays— breakfast between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., lunch between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m.
But just like hunger doesn’t take summers off, it doesn’t take weekends off either.
During the school year, One More Child’s Backpack Meals program provides meals for children through local schools, so they don’t go hungry over the weekend. Our Backpack Meals program continues through the summer for families who benefit from BreakSpot throughout the week.
Together, BreakSpot and Backpack Meals meet immediate needs and take pressure off the shoulders of struggling families.
Learn more about BreakSpot and Backpack Meals.
Compassion Centers
In addition to the need for daily meals, there is often an anxiety that comes with every grocery store visit for struggling families. With prices for groceries rising, keeping a well-stocked kitchen for your children is becoming a challenge for more and more families.
One More Child’s Compassion Ministries are stepping into this need, providing relief and connection to greater support. Our Compassion Centers receive large-scale donations of food, diapers, and other necessities and distribute them back into the community—channeling resources to partner nonprofits and churches.
Our Compassion Centers also have family markets that exist to serve children and families in our care, as well as families looking to connect with our services for the first time. We have Compassion Centers in Lakeland, Palmetto, and Jacksonville.
Learn more about Compassion Ministries.
Family Support
We don’t just want to meet immediate needs; we want to set families up for stability and a bright future. That’s where our Family Support team comes in.
Family Support offers prevention services that seek to make families stronger before the child welfare system intervenes and families are torn apart. We provide evidence-based interventions, parenting workshops, and comprehensive support services for parents and caregivers striving to create a safe, structured, and sustainable environment for their children.
Our Family Support program seeks to prevent crises from occurring and empower parents to lead their families with dignity.
Learn more about Family Support.
Join Our Mission
Hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation, so neither should the compassion and generosity of those who follow Jesus. We invite you to join our mission through generous giving, volunteering, or further engagement.
You can make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children and struggling families—this summer and all year long.