There’s something you might not know about kids in America — 1 in 6 kids know what it’s like to go hungry. Most of them count on free or reduced-price school breakfast and lunch, and they don’t always have enough food at home.
What happens to those kids who eat school meals in the summer time? For many, summer is a time of hunger. But No Kid Hungry is working with partners across the country to change that, by making sure kids can get free, nutritious summer meals at parks, libraries, rec centers and schools all summer long.
Florida is one of the states leading the way in this effort. They serve millions of free summer meals to kids each year. And they’ve found that what keeps kids coming back every day is not just the food itself, but the chance to learn, play and make new friends.
Some of those friends might not be who you imagine. In fact, police groups across Florida play a starring role in these programs.
“In a lot of communities, police are not welcome,” explains Tisha Coleman, who helps organize summer meals programs in Broward County, Florida. “So, that was one of the things that we were thinking about when we reached out to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. We wanted to change the perception that the kids had of police. They’re here to protect us. It was important that our kids see them in a positive way. So, that was one of the reasons why we reached out to them to be one of our partners in the summer meals program.”
It’s a simple idea. After the children eat, the police play games with them or they sit and read books to them. Sometimes they even bring police dogs, who quickly become the center of attention. The cops and the kids become friends. It’s creating a new dynamic between low-income communities and police forces at a time when relations between these two groups are strained across America.
“A lot of times, these kids fear police officers for reasons that they shouldn’t,” said Gregory Monk, who works at summer meals sites in Miami. “Now, they sit down and get to talk to them face-to-face, hand-to-hand. They get to establish a relationship with them, besides what they hear and what they see on TV.”
Last year, more than 15.2 million meals were served to kids facing hunger in Florida — and each of those meals brought communities one step closer together.
Your gift can help No Kid Hungry open new summer meals sites today.
