Summer can be an especially difficult time for families who rely on meals from school to feed their children.

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Through the state’s Summer BreakSpot program, every Orange County Public School student or anyone 18 and younger can visit a food distribution site to receive a hot meal throughout the summer.

This program is meant to help fill the gap of the meals students typically get during the school year. There’s no sign up and its absolutely free.

“Some of our students, in the summertime, don’t get a nutritional meal,” Mark Watson, the Senior Director for Food and Nutrition Services for Orange County Public Schools, said. “This way they can get breakfast and lunch at no charge.”

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Burgers, tater tots, and apple sauce were a few of the item’s kids at the Academic Center for Excellence were served Wednesday while they weren’t in class.

It’s a huge need that the USDA through the Florida Department of Agriculture provides annually.

“We had about 33,000 meals served in the first day,” Watson said.

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The Summer BreakSpot program allows OCPS to provide free breakfast, lunch, and snacks at 230 locations across the county and at six libraries.

“Pretty much something on the menu every day, there’s a lot of healthy food on it,” Laura Welch, the Food Service Manager for OCPS, said. “Fresh food, fresh vegetables.”

To receive a hot meal, all a kid must do is visit one of the food distribution sites throughout the county.

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There, they can sit down, enjoy a meal, and not worry about when they’ll eat again this summer.

“We found that if you have a nutritional meal especially during the school day that you learn better, have less discipline problems, so it’s very important to get that meal,” Watson said.

Click here to find nutritional site locations and serving times please call 211 or check the OCPS website.

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