Commissioner Adam Putnam Joins Summer BreakSpot Program In Fort Lauderdale

By  //  July 28, 2015

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Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam joined around one hundred Fort Lauderdale-area children at the L.A. Lee YMCA to celebrate the Summer BreakSpot program with food, fun and educational activities. (Image for SpaceCoastDaily)

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam joined around one hundred Fort Lauderdale-area children at the L.A. Lee YMCA to celebrate the Summer BreakSpot program with food, fun and educational activities.

 

The Summer BreakSpot program offers free nutritious meals, recreational fun and educational activities for children 18 and under at more than 3,600 locations statewide during summer.

“Providing children access to nutritious meals and educational activities while school is out gives them the tools they need to succeed and helps prepare them for the upcoming school year,” stated Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.

“I encourage parents and kids to go to SummerFoodFlorida.org to find a nearby location.”

Adam Putnam
Adam Putnam

In addition to partner organizations, such as Broward Meals on Wheels, Florida Impact and YMCA of South Florida, Estella’s Brilliant Bus attended the visit. Estella’s Brilliant Bus is a mobile computer lab that provides children with access to literacy programs.

The bus travels throughout Palm Beach County and surrounding areas to help underprivileged children get connected to technology.

This year, mobile Summer BreakSpots continue to expand. These mobile units transport breakfasts and lunches to children in underserved communities. Currently, 14 counties operate mobile units: Bay, Broward, Clay, Duval, Gilchrist, Hillsborough, Leon, Marion, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam and Santa Rosa.

Fleets of renovated school buses, trucks and vans will make stops at parks and recreation centers, affordable housing units and other locations that lack an established Summer BreakSpot site.

There are many ways to find a Summer BreakSpot site:

• Dial 2-1-1.
• Text “FoodFL” to 877-877.
• Download the “Nutrislice” smartphone app.
• Visit SummerFoodFlorida.org.

Last year, the program provided more than 13.5 million meals to about 300,000 children. Broward County served 332,048 breakfasts and 793,888 lunches during the summer of 2014, and Broward has nearly 100 Summer BreakSpot sites this summer.

Summer BreakSpot is part of the national Summer Food Service Program, a federally funded program operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered in Florida by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

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Eligible sponsors, including nonprofit organizations, schools, churches, camps, local governments and more, serve nutritious meals and snacks free to low-income children under the age of 18 during the summer months.

For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com.