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The Miami-Dade County Public Schools announced that they will offer completely free breakfast and lunch to children and teens up to 18 years old throughout the summer, as part of the Florida Summer BreakSpot program.
Meals will be available at 170 schools in the county from June 8 to July 31, regardless of the family's income level or immigration status.
"There are no income requirements, applications, or registration needed to participate," stated the official announcement from the school district. Any minor under 18 years old can show up at one of the participating sites during meal hours and will receive breakfast and lunch at no cost.
This year, the program introduces a significant change compared to previous editions: meals must be consumed on-site.
"Unlike previous years, meals must be consumed on-site. There will be no takeout service," the district specified in its statement.
School officials explained to Local 10 that the initiative "is designed to ensure that children continue to receive nutritious meals while schools are closed for the summer break."
Summer BreakSpot is a program funded by the federal government through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered in Florida by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). It operates at thousands of locations throughout the state, including schools, libraries, parks, and community centers.
In Miami-Dade, in addition to the 170 participating schools, there are other distribution points available.
Among them are Miami-Dade Community Services (1901 SW 1st St, Tuesday to Thursday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM), the Salvation Army of Miami (1907 NW 38th St, Monday to Friday from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM), Sunshine Community (3990 West Flagler St, Wednesday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM), and the AFE Community Center in Hialeah (868 SE 12th St, Tuesday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM).
The need for the program is real and urgent in South Florida. According to 2022 data, 27.4% of children in Miami-Dade live in households with food insecurity, and approximately 287,650 minors in South Florida face feeding challenges. The summer exacerbates this situation by cutting off access to the school meals that children receive during the academic year.
The district encourages parents and guardians to take advantage of the program to keep children healthy and well-nourished during the summer months.
Families can locate the nearest participating site through the interactive map on SummerBreakSpot.org, which is updated twice daily as new distribution sites are added.
Miami-Dade Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the country and has historically distributed nearly seven million free meals to students and families through this and other similar programs.
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