In Sarasota County, nearly 50 percent of children participate in the free and reduced meal programs at school, and in DeSoto County 100 percent of children rely on these meals during the school year.
40,000 kids may not know where their next meal is coming from this summer
In Sarasota County, nearly 50 percent of children participate in the free and reduced meal programs at school, and in DeSoto County 100 percent of children rely on these meals during the school year. This equates to 20,146 kids in Sarasota and 5,000 in DeSoto.
The number is even greater when you include younger siblings not yet in the school system, bringing the total children at risk of hunger over the summer to more than 40,000. According to a study on the issue of child hunger carried out in 2014 by All Faiths Food Bank and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, third and fourth graders admitted they worry about not having food at home.
So, when school ends for the summer, how do these children find the help they need?
All Faiths Food Bank’s Campaign Against Summer Hunger has become our community’s strongest line of defense against child hunger.
Visit allfaithsfoodbank.org for more information and ways to lend your support.