FORT PIERCE – Treasure Coast Food Bank’s summer feeding program has received a Summer BreakSpot Challenge Award for Innovation in Operation of its Summer Feeding Program, which fed children more than 82,600 meals last summer.
Treasure Coast Food Bank CEO Judith Cruz and Chief Programs Officer Krista Garofalo were on hand for the award presentation by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which took place in Apopka.
The 2014 Summer Feeding Program expanded from 3 to 23 sites in three counties, offering food for breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks.
“We’re thrilled to be recognized for our Summer Feeding Program,” Garofalo said. “We worked hard to build a program to provide nutritious and appetizing meals that children would want to eat, and the success showed as our average daily attendance more than doubled.”
The program kicked off with a party at Treasure Coast Food Bank’s YourPlate Health & Wellness Center where families could sign up for summer meals for their children at several locations.
Treasure Coast Food Bank is launching a Summer Hunger Campaign this month with a goal of raising $250,000 to expand its 2015 Summer Feeding Program to provide for more than 52,000 students who rely on the school system for low-cost meals and who may not have adequate food over the summer.
“We’re thankful for the Florida Department of Agriculture’s recognition of our 2014 Summer Feeding Program, but that was just a small step compared to what we want to accomplish,” Cruz said. “Our goal is for every child to have enough healthy food every day.”
