For many Tallahassee families, summer break comes with a higher price tag. With children home from school, parents often face rising grocery bills, childcare costs, and activity expenses all at once.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
Free summer meals available for Tallahassee kids 18 and under
For single mother Keiera Carter, feeding her 3 children during the summer has become one of the biggest strains on her budget.
“Between Sam’s, Walmart, and Publix, I just spent $500. Usually, I would spend $250, maybe $300 if I’m adding household supplies,” Carter said.
While Carter relies on family support when she can, she says there are times when even everyday necessities require tough decisions.
“Some days I do, you know, I’m like, okay, do I need to get gas? If I need to stop to the store to get a loaf of bread or some cereal and some milk, so yeah, it definitely gets to that point,” Carter said.
When school is out, many families are left covering meals their children would normally receive during the school year.
To help fill that gap, the Summer Food Service Program, provides free meals and snacks to children and teens throughout the summer.
The Frenchtown Neighborhood Improvement Association prepares and delivers those meals to camps, churches, and community centers across Tallahassee.
“Food security is a big thing around here. My ultimate goal every summer is to fill that gap for those kids who are not getting a nutritious meal,” Meltonia Chandler, Frenchtown Neighborhood Improvement Association, Executive Director, said.
Chandler says the association distributes meals Monday through Friday and expects to serve children at over 18 sites this summer.
The program is free for anyone 18 and under and does not require registration from the recipients.
“We don’t want them to choose. We want this meal to actually have free access to it and know that this is a free space that they can get a free meal,” Chandler said.
The Frenchtown Neighborhood Improvement Association (FNIA) is looking for volunteers as drivers to help distribute the meal to the various locations they serve.
For more information on the locations FNIA serves, you can call (850) 577-1615.
Free summer resources:
Summer Break Spot: For more details, click here.
Kingdom Life Preparatory Academy Thrive 360 Summer Camp: For more details, click here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.