The School District of Palm Beach County’s School Food Service department is adding 34 breakfast carts to schools across the District.
A $244,800 grant from GENYOUth will cover the costs of the carts, placed in convenient areas such as courtyards, bus loops, or car lines, to ease the access to the District’s free breakfast program. The carts offer shelf-stable breakfast foods including cereal, granola bars, or Pop-Tarts, along with fresh fruit and milk or juice.
The carts can also be used for lunch, after school snacks, supper programs, and summer feeding, as well as being useful during emergency situations to support the distribution of community meals, such as when schools become shelters during hurricanes.
Breakfast is always offered for free at all District schools. However, some students don’t have the time or the desire to go to the cafeteria before school starts, which is why School Food Service launched a breakfast cart program in 2016.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 88% of schools report lacking at least one piece of equipment they need to serve healthier foods. To combat that issue, GENYOUth seeks to increase breakfast (and other school meal) participation numbers in South Florida schools.
Through the provision of grants of this nature and with their Florida 100 Super School Breakfast, GENYOUth aims to provide Grab-N-Go breakfast carts to 100 South Florida schools, which over time will increase access to nearly 50 million meals among food -insecure students.