Okaloosa County school kitchens deliver 71,774 meals to students during summer break
Destin, Florida – For thousands of Okaloosa County students, summer break did not mean losing access to a school meal. While classrooms were quiet, school kitchens and staff across the district kept working.
By the end of the summer, the Okaloosa County School District’s Summer Feeding Program had served 71,774 meals, including 27,848 breakfasts and 43,926 lunches.
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The effort was designed to keep nutritious food available to students during the months when regular school-year meal service was not operating.
“Ensuring our students have access to nutritious meals doesn’t stop when the school year ends,” Superintendent Marcus Chambers said.
“The success of this summer’s feeding program is a testament to the dedication of our Food Services team and the many administrators, coaches, teachers, and staff who worked together to support our students. We are grateful to everyone who helped make sure our students had access to the meals they needed throughout the summer.”
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The numbers show the scale of that effort. Lunches accounted for more than 60% of all meals distributed, while nearly 28,000 breakfasts were also provided during the summer period.
The program depended on more than the district’s Food Services employees. Administrators, teachers, daycare coordinators and other staff helped keep the operation moving, while athletic programs provided another important connection to students who remained active on school campuses during the break.
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Fort Walton Beach, Choctaw, Niceville and Crestview high schools participated this year, along with Davidson Middle School. Their involvement helped ensure student-athletes taking part in summer activities could receive both breakfast and lunch.
Stephen Anderson, the district’s Program Director of Food Services, said the final meal count reflected cooperation throughout the school system.
“Our summer feeding program is only successful because of the dedication and teamwork of so many people across our district,” Anderson said. “We would never have been able to serve these many meals without their efforts. Their dedication makes a real difference in helping us ensure that our students have access to nutritious meals throughout the summer.”
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With more than 71,000 meals served before students returned to their regular school schedules, the summer program ultimately became a district-wide effort involving kitchens, classrooms, athletic departments and staff members working toward the same goal: keeping meals within reach even when school was out.
