- April 19, 2024
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The Summer Food Service Program serves free meals at 11 sites for kids 18 and under.
According to Flagler County Schools Director of Food Services Angela Torres, the Summer Food Service Program is still a well kept secret.
When the school system took over the federally funded program about five years ago, she said, only three county sites were available where residents 18 and younger could go for free lunches, snacks and breakfasts. The sites fed about 100 people a day.
Now, the number of sites is up to 11, with a 12th most likely to be added in the upcoming week, at Palm Harbor Academy.
Torres said about 1,000 residents currently benefit from the program daily, with a large majority of that growth occurring in the last two years, due to increased outreach at churches and nonprofits.
But there are still many mouths to feed.
At the end of last school year, Torres said, 58% of Flagler students were enrolled in the free-lunch program, deemed eligible based on “poverty level” household income, or depending on category — runaways, migrants, homeless and foster children, and families on food stamps are eligible for free lunches.
The Summer Food Service Program offers free food to children 18 years and younger. Identification is not required. The program is completely anonymous.
Next year, Torres hopes to organize a bus service, as well, to “bring the sites to (the kids).”
The program runs until August 10.
AVAILABLE FOOD SITES
— Bunnell Elementary (closed; enrolled only) / breakfast 8-8:30 a.m. / lunch 11:30 a.m.-noon
— Carver Gym (open) / breakfast 8:30-9 a.m. / lunch 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
— Espanola Community Center (open) / breakfast 8:30-9 a.m. / lunch 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
— Hidden Trails Community Center (open) / breakfast 8:30-9 a.m. / lunch 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
— Sunshine Academy (closed; enrolled only) / breakfast 8:45-9:15 a.m. / lunch 11:45 p.m.-12:45p.m
— St. Mark Christian Day School (closed; enrolled only) / breakfast 8:30-9:30 a.m. / lunch 11:30 a.m.-noon
— Palm Coast Recreation and Parks (closed; enrolled only) / lunch 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. / snack 3-3:30 p.m.
— Buddy Taylor Middle (open) / breakfast 8-8:45 a.m. / lunch 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
— The Kings Academy (open) / breakfast 8-9 a.m. / lunch noon-1 p.m.
— West Side Baptist (open) / breakfast 8:30-9 p.m. / lunch noon-1 p.m.
— James Holland Memorial Park (closed; enrolled only) / lunch 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. / snack 3-3:30 p.m.
