With 21 percent of Florida children currently experiencing food insecurity, returning to school can be a daunting task. Kids who don’t get enough food to eat are more likely to repeat a grade, experience developmental impairments in areas like language and motor skills, and have more social and behavioral problems. This why several of our Feeding Florida network food banks offer resources, like in-school pantries and afterschool meal programs to ensure students are getting the nutrients they need.

Our Feeding Florida food banks are dedicated to providing access to healthy and nutritious food for the 906,470 children in Florida who experience food insecurity. When school lets out for summer break, many children are left without a consistent source of food, adding to the other struggles they face like development and health. Studies show kids who don’t get enough food to eat are more likely to repeat a grade, experience developmental impairments in areas like language and motor skills, and have more social and behavioral problems. Learn how our food banks are making a difference and how to access summer food.

Feeding Florida released an updated analysis of weekly and yearly missing meals across the state, showing a 17 percent increase since March of 2020. The statewide food bank network commissioned Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group (MG) to update her estimate of how many individuals are currently missing meals each week, largely due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This latest release in 2021 highlights the long-lasting effect on Florida’s food insecure population, a year after the pandemic hit.

Florida Blue has been a longtime, supportive partner of Feeding Florida, helping to provide aid to Floridians across the state through multiple key programs and initiatives. The support of Florida Blue was crucial when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and left millions without access to nutritious food and produce. Florida Blue was able to feed 739,000 people and provide 14.5 million meals to those needing COVID relief They also works individually with several Feeding Florida food banks on programs that educate and address special areas of nutrition and how it all impacts health.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, millions of Floridians were left without access to nutritious and affordable food. With so many people left wondering where their next meal would come from, UnitedHealth Group stepped in to ensure that no Floridian would be left hungry during a time of unprecedented struggle.

Our Director of Produce Recovery, Sherri Atwell, has had the pleasure of traveling across the state with the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) getting first-hand experience with growers and learning how fresh produce goes from the farm to the food bank. As a member of the current FFVA Emerging Leaders Program, Sherri’s farm tours have taken her across county lines and to a couple dozen farms in places like Plant City, West Palm Beach and Palatka.

The Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) has been a voice in the agriculture industry for nearly eight decades. A key partner for the Feeding Florida network, FFVA helps promote our state’s farmers and the importance of buying local produce. We spoke to FFVA’s Director of Communications, Christina Morton, to learn more about produce recovery and how they move produce from farm to food bank.

<p>Feeding Florida commissioned Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group (MG) – a firm with expertise in hunger, the economy, and statistical models – to conduct a COVID-19 employment disruption analysis at small geographic units across Florida as a pathway to understand and address the additional need for charitable feeding during this crisis. The analysis estimates […]

Feeding Florida commissioned Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group (MG) – a firm with expertise in hunger, the economy, and statistical models – to conduct a COVID-19 employment disruption analysis at small geographic units across Florida as a pathway to understand and address the additional need for charitable feeding during this crisis.

Feeding Florida has received a $400,000 donation from the Florida Farm Bureau Insurance Companies (Florida Farm Bureau) to assist with getting Florida-grown fruits and vegetables to those affected by COVID-19. The donation will also support Florida farmers, who are struggling due to a decreased demand for their products as the hospitality and restaurant industry has primarily come to a halt statewide. Distribution will occur through Feeding Florida’s existing statewide network of 12- member food banks through the Farmers Feeding Florida program.