Jaxon ate his whole salad during lunch at Midway Safe Harbor’s Summer Break Spot.
Well, almost.
“I didn’t eat those cucumbers,” the 7-year-old said. “But I did like the tomatoes. And I really like the meat and cheese.”
Jaxon attends a summer camp program at Midway, which is one of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s Summer Break Spot sites, where breakfast and lunch are served daily to all kids 18 and younger.
About 130 kids are enrolled in the Sanford summer program, and the meals provided by the food bank all summer are a huge help, said Site Facilitator Quinn Byrd.
“It allows the parents to be able to work to provide for their children and household,” Quinn said. “And it allows us to be able to educate the kids without worrying about whether they might be hungry.”
He said a lot of the parents love that the meals provided are nutritious, and that the kids all love the fresh fruit like grapes, bananas and oranges.
He said the favorite meals so far this summer have been a salad with popcorn chicken on it and turkey and cheese croissants.
“It makes a big impact exposing students to things they otherwise wouldn’t eat,” Quinn said. “Yesterday was a big hit with the burritos and carrots.”
Carson, a 5-year-old kindergartener, decided to try his salad. He opened it, put a cucumber in his mouth and said, “I like this.” He then proceeded to try the tomatoes and the accompanying ranch dressing.
“I really liked the sandwich we ate yesterday,” Carson said.
The sandwiches were a popular choice, as 7-year-old Ashton said those were his favorite of the summer meals, too.
“My favorite parts of summer camp are P.E., lunch, and snack,” the rising second-grader said. “I like the food.”
Quinn said it’s important to make sure the kids eat while they’re at Midway, because household budgets are stretched thin over the summer without school-provided meals available.
“I’m thankful for Second Harvest filling in the gap,” he said.
