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Dept. Of Agriculture Announces School Lunch Sites Amid COVID-19 Closures

A traditional school lunch, sorted on a plastic tray
KCLine
/
istockphoto
A traditional school lunch, sorted on a plastic tray

The Florida Department of Agriculture has announced more than 900 sites in the state that will be serving meals as schools shut down until March 30.  The initial list covers 30 of Florida's 67 counties, including Franklin, Gadsden and Leon in the Panhandle.

A traditional school lunch, sorted on a plastic tray
Credit KCLine / istockphoto
/
istockphoto
A traditional school lunch, sorted on a plastic tray

Right now the sites are in the following counties: Alachua, Baker, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Miami-Dade, Duval, Franklin, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Manatee, Marion, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Santa Rosa, Seminole.

"We are working on more locations right now, so the number will steadily increase. We are focusing on approving applications for the counties that were not on planned Spring Break next week and that will be operating on Monday, followed by other counties," says Deptartment spokesman Franco Ripple.

The state recieved a waiver from the federal government to open sites that partner to offer meals in summer, when schools are closed. The Florida Department of Agriculture administers the National School Lunch Program.

Locations can be found by going to summerbreakspot.freshfromflorida.com and entering one's address. The Department notes not all the locations may be active yet.

The moves after Friday's abrupt announcement from the Florida Department of Education recommending schools across the state be closed until March 30 to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Some  districts were preparing to go on Spring Break while others were preparing to come back from the vacation. The decision to extend Spring Break sparked concerns for children who depend on the school lunch program for breakfast and lunch.

The Big Bend region has the highest level of food insecurity in the state.

Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson and Franklin will be on Spring Break this week. Leon previously announced it is planning on serving meals the week of the 23rd.

Copyright 2020 WFSU

Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lynn has served as reporter/producer for WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas. She is an award-winning member of the Capital Press Corps and has participated in the NPR Kaiser Health News Reporting Partnership and NPR Education Initiative. When she’s not working, Lynn spends her time watching sci-fi and action movies, writing her own books, going on long walks through the woods, traveling and exploring antique stores. Follow Lynn Hatter on Twitter: @HatterLynn.