Free Meals for Kids 18 and Under!
School is out, but hunger doesn’t take a summer break. This summer, Florida kids and teens ages 18 and under can get free, healthy meals at Summer Food Service Program. Most listed sites are “open,” meaning no registration or paperwork is needed to receive a meal. Kids simply arrive at the site during the designated hours and meals are served! Locations include churches, schools, parks, libraries, and more. From Pensacola to the Keys, there are over 3,000 meal sites serving up nutritious food this summer.
There are three ways to locate a site near you:
Locations may serve breakfast, lunch/supper, snacks, or a combination. Use the interactive map to check which meal type is available at a specific site, and which days of the week each site is open. For Outreach Resources to promote Summer BreakSpot, visit summerbreakspot.org.
“What is WIC?” Downloadable Videos: The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program caters to pregnant women, women after giving birth/postpartum, new and breastfeeding mothers, infants, and children under five who fulfill the income requirements. “What is WIC?” videos are available for download in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese to help inform residents of the WIC program and its benefits. We encourage our partners to share these videos widely among their networks, including clients, neighbors, and professional partners. The videos are ideal for showing in waiting rooms, attaching to digital newsletters, or sending directly to interested residents. Please click here to access the videos. To schedule an appointment, contact the Florida WIC Department at 1-800-342-3556. Please click here to look at a list of things to bring for your appointment.
Share Your Story About SNAP/GusNIP: The American Heart Association is advocating for critical nutrition and feeding programs in the 2023 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is a comprehensive multi-year federal bill that addresses nutrition and agricultural policy issues. It is typically renewed every five years; the current authorization expires September 30, 2023. If you have experience with SNAP and GusNIP, their most important and critical asks need your voice! Please click here to fill out a short form to share your story.
Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Extension Outreach Flyer: Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies (HMHB) Coalition of Palm Beach County has created an outreach flyer encouraging postpartum women who had Medicaid during their pregnancy to contact HMHB with questions and to make an appointment. Please click here to access the flyer.
DCF Update – 2023 Summer P-EBT: The Florida Dept. of Children and Families announced on Facebook that they would submit a plan to administer a 2023 Summer Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program (P-EBT). Details about DCF’s plan have not been released. Eligibility for 2023 Summer P-EBT will be tied to free or reduced price school meal eligibility. It will be important that families with eligible children who have not applied for or been directly certified for free or reduced meals take the necessary steps to receive P-EBT. School children who attended a school that participated in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or Special Provisions 2 or 3 in school year 2022-2023 will be covered. The Florida Policy Institute (FPI) will update you as more details about the 2023 Summer P-EBT become available.
Nourishing Communities – How SNAP Became Florida’s Most Effective Anti-Hunger Program: While the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has grown to be one of the nation’s most powerful poverty reduction tools, SNAP’s effectiveness is the culmination of roughly 100 years of bipartisan support and growing pains, as various roadblocks impeded earlier food assistance programs from reaching their full potential in fighting food insecurity. Nevertheless, there is still work to be done around SNAP on the state level to reverse course on policies that have led to inequitable access to the program. Learn more about SNAP in Florida by reading Florida Policy Institute’s report.
Palm Beach County Senior Centers: The Palm Beach County Community Services Department’s Division of Senior and Veteran Services invites local seniors and veterans aged 60 and older to participate in complimentary breakfast and lunch options at various sites throughout the county. The program provides nutritious meals to eligible seniors at nutrition sites, senior centers, and other group settings. The congregate meal program allows older adults to socialize with other seniors at the meal sites. For a complete list of meal times and locations, click here.
SNAP Online Purchasing Now Available in All 50 States: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that, in partnership with states, territories, and retailers across the country, online purchasing using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is now available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia! This expansion represents a major milestone in the history of SNAP and continues to provide greater convenience and access to healthy food options for tens of millions of Americans. Online shopping is a convenient, safe, secure way to shop for food and quickly becoming a vital resource for nutrition security and food access. Major retailers nationwide continue to make online SNAP purchasing available for EBT card holders. For more information about the program and the full list of retailers approved to provide SNAP online purchasing, visit the SNAP Online webpage. The USDA also recommends visiting your local retailer’s website to find out whether grocery delivery is available for your location.
mRelief: Florida Impact to End Hunger shared SNAP enrollment resources from friends at the national nonprofit, mRelief. mRelief built the first ever SNAP eligibility screener accessible by mobile phone and they now partner with community organizations across the state of Florida to create a state-compliant and user-friendly enrollment process to connect our neighbors in need to crucial benefits that they deserve. Last year 8,312 Floridians chose to apply for SNAP with one of mRelief’s community-based enrollment partners or on their own via mRelief’s simplified application. If you’d like to partner with them to connect your community to a more accessible route to SNAP benefits, you can fill out their Community Partner Intake form.
SNAP Calculator: Find out if you may be eligible for SNAP and an estimated amount of benefits you could receive. Use the SNAP Calculator as a quick screening tool to determine possible eligibility for food assistance. The calculator was previously available in English and Spanish and has been recently updated to include Haitian Creole! Access the SNAP calculator here. Florida Policy Institute (FPI) urges you to apply for SNAP regardless of what the calculator says. To do so please submit an application to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) at this link.
Providers App: Propel, a mission-driven financial technology company, has launched Providers, an application that helps low-income families navigate government benefits and monitor skimming. If you’ve been a victim of benefits theft, report it immediately to your case worker and law enforcement. Currently, more than five million SNAP (food stamp) participants use Fresh EBT monthly to manage their benefits. The app is available on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. For more information, click here.
MEANS (Matching Excess And Needs for Stability) Database: MEANS (Matching Excess And Needs for Stability) Database is an online platform connecting those with excess food, like grocery stores, co-ops, and restaurants, with nearby emergency food providers who serve those in need. Their organization focuses on reducing food waste and rerouting that food to feed people facing food insecurity. To learn more, please visit their website.
Shop Simple with MyPlate: Shopping for healthy foods doesn’t have to break the bank. This nifty tool allows you to find savings in your area and discover new ways to prepare budget-friendly foods. It works by entering your zip code to find rewards and stores that accept SNAP EBT near you. To find out more, please click here.
United Way of Palm Beach County (UWPBC) Food Finder Map: The best way to access emergency food is through your local food pantry. UWPBC’s Food Finder Map is updated weekly and has been viewed over 250,000 times! Anyone looking for food or helping others find food is encouraged to look up locations on the map. You can also get help finding food locations by calling 2-1-1.
A robust food pantry system is the best way to ensure people can access emergency food. Pantries rely mainly on food from local food banks and other donations. Inflation and the end of many COVID-era food programs have decreased contributions and food available through the emergency food system. You can learn how to support your local food bank and pantry system through food donations here.
Federation of Families of Florida, Inc.
Federation of Families of Florida, Inc., provides services that inform, educate, train, and support individuals, children, and families at-risk, or who have emotional or behavioral needs. Additionally, Federation of Families of Florida, Inc., brings together the voices and concerns of families and youth impacted by the challenges associated with mental health disorders.
As a family-run agency, Federation of Families of Florida, Inc., focuses on the strength of the family unit. When a young person struggles with a condition that many may not understand, counseling and support groups can make a big difference. Moreover, Federation of Families of Florida, Inc., implements workshops and group sessions, which give parents and guardians the skillset they need to help a young person struggling with mental illness. As a natural support partner for youth and families, the Federation offers wraparound, food for families and transportation as part of it’s network of services.
With 23 years of experience in mental health systems of care transformation work, Founder and CEO, C. Veree Jenkins, has been able to sustain and grow this work with special interest in the western portion of Palm Beach County, the Glades, including creating the Federation Family Support and Woosah Retreat Garden in South Bay and the BeWell Gathering Place peer center in Belle Glade. Most recently, they opened an office in collaboration with Keys For Life Behavioral Health Services in Palm Beach Gardens to better serve residents on the coast.
To learn more about Federation of Families of Florida, Inc., including their programs, resources, events, etc., please visit their website.
Request for Proposals – Engage Forward 2023-24: Leadership Palm Beach County’s Engage Forward empowers members from the Leadership Palm Beach County Engage program to take active roles in the community through a partnership with local nonprofit agencies. If your nonprofit is chosen, your organization will actively collaborate with Engage class members on a special project to solve issues facing your organization or the community you serve. Learn more about Engage Forward and see past projects here. Go to their website to (1) register for a proposer workshop (required for participation), (2) download the Request for Proposals application, and (3) view answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Applications are due July 7, 2023.
FY 2023 WIC Enrollment via State-Level Referral Data Matching with SNAP and Medicaid: The goal of this request for applications (RFA) is to facilitate data-sharing activities that support targeted outreach and streamlined certification processes aimed at increasing the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participation and retention. This RFA will provide up to $20,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding through a one-time cooperative agreement to an external entity that will provide financial, technical, and evaluation support to WIC State agencies to implement referral data matching, with participant consent when required, and outreach efforts. To look at eligibility requirements and deadlines, please click here.
We could not do our work without you! The Hunger Relief Initiative uses the Collective Impact Model to implement the Palm Beach County Hunger Relief Plan and make sustainable, long-term changes to reduce hunger in Palm Beach County. We do this work through our Hunger Relief Advisory Council and the Council’s work groups and subcommittees.
The staff regularly convenes the Hunger Relief Advisory Council, six Work Groups, and three Subcommittees. Please send us an email to learn more.
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