Combatting Summertime Hunger

The final school bell marking the start of summertime frequently ushers in a time of hunger and want for youths from low-income families.

Many depend on the free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches served at schools during the academic year. But when classes end, so do those meals, heightening the financial burden on families already struggling to afford food and other necessities, such as utilities and healthcare.

According to Collier County Public Schools, 65 percent of school children qualified to receive free or reduced-priced meals in 2022.

Locally, a partnership between the Our Daily Bread Food Pantry (ODBFP), The Island Country Club Charitable Foundation, and two Marco Island schools is addressing that need. The trio have teamed up to provide nutritious food for students at Tommie Barfield Elementary School and Marco Island Charter Middle School who receive free breakfast and lunch during the school year.

“When you don't have the breakfast or the lunches provided by the schools, it puts an extra strain on kids and families,” said Evelyn Rossetti-Ryan, Our Daily Bread’s executive director. “There's research that states that a family's grocery costs can rise more than $300 a month when school is out and those meals disappear. That can increase strain and anxiety and stress for families.”

Hunger during the summer months can affect knowledge retention and more long-term, she added.

“Kids who aren't getting that nutritious food may experience something called a ‘summer slide,’ which means that they may forget what they learned,” explained Rossetti-Ryan. “It can also create long-term health consequences. So we're concerned about the student's health and wellbeing during these out-of-school hours.”

This is the second year for the program, which runs from June 3 through July 22 and also provides food for the students’ families. Distributions are conducted weekly at Our Daily Bread Food Pantry’s base on the campus of the Family Church of Marco Island, located at 1450 Winterberry Drive.

Funding is provided by a $50,000 grant from the foundation. A minimum of 20 percent is dedicated to the summer food insecurity program, with the remainder earmarked for the ODBFP’s other programs.

Island Country Club Charitable Foundation is dedicated to financially supporting charities in and around Marco, with the goal of enhancing the quality of life in the community. Aside from Our Daily Bread, the organization also supports Marco Island Academy and MICMS, Collier Habitat for Humanity, Marco Dementia Relief, the Marco YMCA summer camp program, the Marco Island Historical Society, and the Marco Island Center for the Arts, among others.

“The foundation has always been about helping our community,” said Ellen McCahill, board member of the Island Country Club Charitable Foundation. “We try to make an impact. Obviously, our community is Marco, but when we started the program last year, we said, families are in need, if they're children are in the schools, even if they don't live on Marco.”

As with last year, foundation members are present to hand out food parcels to the families, who are identified through the schools’ free-and-reduced-breakfast-and-lunch rolls. There are two types of packages, one designed for children and one for the entire family.

“We have a little over 30 families and a little over 70 students participating,” said Rossetti-Ryan. “Each student receives their own bag of nutritious foods, including snacks. It could be shelf-stable milk and healthy cereal. It could be shelf-stable Go-Gurt yogurt packs. It could be fruit cups or granola bars. In addition, there’ll be easy-to-eat and palatable things like macaroni and cheese or easily microwavable cups of soup and things of that nature. They’re easy for a kid to eat, especially if mom or dad or their guardian is at work, and they're at home and they need something for lunch or dinner.”

Now in its tenth year, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry will be moving into its own building sometime in late July to early August. The structure, located at 1818 San Marco Road.

“Any of the families in the program, we will make sure they have the information (about the move) for if they want to come to a Saturday pantry or one of our mobile pantries,” said Rossetti-Ryan. “We want to ensure that the families who need that food will have a way to access it.