SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL \u2014 For many Tallahassee families, summer break comes with a higher price tag. With children home from school, parents often face rising grocery bills, childcare costs, and activity expenses all at once.<\/p>\n
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:<\/p>\n
Free summer meals available for Tallahassee kids 18 and under<\/p>\n
For single mother Keiera Carter, feeding her 3 children during the summer has become one of the biggest strains on her budget.<\/p>\n
“Between Sam’s, Walmart, and Publix, I just spent $500. Usually, I would spend $250, maybe $300 if I’m adding household supplies,” Carter said.<\/p>\n
While Carter relies on family support when she can, she says there are times when even everyday necessities require tough decisions.<\/p>\n
“Some days I do, you know, I’m like, okay, do I need to get gas? If I need to stop to the store to get a loaf of bread or some cereal and some milk, so yeah, it definitely gets to that point,” Carter said.<\/p>\n
When school is out, many families are left covering meals their children would normally receive during the school year. <\/p>\n
To help fill that gap, the Summer Food Service Program<\/a>, provides free meals and snacks to children and teens throughout the summer.<\/p>\n The Frenchtown Neighborhood Improvement Association prepares and delivers those meals to camps, churches, and community centers across Tallahassee.<\/p>\n “Food security is a big thing around here. My ultimate goal every summer is to fill that gap for those kids who are not getting a nutritious meal,” Meltonia Chandler, Frenchtown Neighborhood Improvement Association, Executive Director, said.<\/p>\n Chandler says the association distributes meals Monday through Friday and expects to serve children at over 18 sites this summer. <\/p>\n The program is free for anyone 18 and under and does not require registration from the recipients. <\/p>\n “We don’t want them to choose. We want this meal to actually have free access to it and know that this is a free space that they can get a free meal,” Chandler said.<\/p>\n The Frenchtown Neighborhood Improvement Association (FNIA) is looking for volunteers as drivers to help distribute the meal to the various locations they serve.<\/p>\n For more information on the locations FNIA serves<\/a>, you can call (850) 577-1615.<\/p>\n Free summer resources: <\/p>\n Summer Break Spot: For more details, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n Kingdom Life Preparatory Academy Thrive 360 Summer Camp: For more details, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. <\/a><\/p>\n Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.<\/p>\n Like us on Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us on Instagram <\/a>and X.<\/a><\/p>\n