Around one in five Tampa Bay area children are facing food insecurity, but one organization is trying to fix that.
No Kid Hungry Florida is wrapping up National School Breakfast Week by celebrating the school districts that are improving their free breakfast programs.
Additionally, the nonprofit campaign launched a program called The Breakfast Club to discuss the challenges districts are facing.
Sky Beard, director of No Kid Hungry Florida, said, in some cases, healthy school meals may be the only ones a child gets in a day.
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“Schools across Florida are really doing a fantastic job when it comes to feeding kids,” she said.
Beard and her team are using National School Breakfast Week to recognize the “unsung heroes” who fight child hunger by providing these meals.
"When we can elevate the importance of school meals and the folks that provide them everyday, it's an important tool in the toolbox when it comes to tackling child hunger in the state of Florida,” she said.
The Breakfast Club launched last month, allowing staff to meet every other month to discuss new and successful ways they provide food to students.
One initiative they’ve found that helps get food in the hands of its students is offering meals outside the cafeteria, including grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches.
"It's really helpful to have a variety of locations and roles represented in those conversations so that we can make sure all of those perspectives are taken into account,” Beard said.
Over 20 representatives across the state, including faculty from Hillsborough, Hernando, Polk, Pinellas and Manatee Counties, are participating in the club.
“We are working alongside many school districts across the state to really think a little bit out of the box and think of innovative ways to better connect kids to meals,” she said.
