LAUDERHILL – In summer 2013, the Summer BreakSpot program with Florida Impact, a South Florida Hunger Coalition (SFHC) partner, fed 15,698 children who otherwise would have gone hungry at the end of the school year. The program, however, was ONLY able to reach 11% of those students estimated to have needed service. Those children remain at risk for hunger and poor nutrition.
To increase the number of children being fed this year, the Children’s Services Council of Broward County (CSC) agreed to grant funds toward a summer mobile feeding pilot program called “Summer BreakSpot Mobile Service Pilot of Broward County”. The pilot is a partnership between Broward Meals on Wheels (BMOW), Broward County Housing Authority, Broward Regional Health Planning Council and their CDC-funded grant activities Transforming Our Community’s Health (TOUCH), Nova Southeastern University (NSU) evaluation team and Florida Impact, coordinated by the SFHC.
The goals are to provide a nutritious lunch and snack each day at three Broward County Housing Authority sites and a former public housing site, as well as to provide nutrition counselling and physical fitness sessions for youth and adults. This project has already garnered national attention form the USDA and Meals on Wheels of America as a potential service delivery model to be replicated across the nation. This mobile model is the first of its kind taking the Meals on Wheels delivery system to seniors and applying it to youth. The total budget for the program is estimated to be $266,622.80 and the Council’s match of $28,000 for Fiscal Year 13/14 represents a match of 10.5%.
The Children’s Services Council of Broward is an independent taxing authority which was established by a public referendum on September 5, 2000, which, through Public Act, Chapter 2000-461 of the laws of Florida, authorized the Council to levy up to 0.5 mills of property taxes. The role of the Council is to provide the leadership, advocacy and resources necessary to enhance children’s lives and empower them to become responsible, productive adults through collaborative planning and funding of a continuum of quality care.
