PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Putnam County schools are helping kids fight hunger with a program that provides free breakfast every morning for students.
90 percent of the district’s schools are using the “breakfast in the classroom” model. It started a decade ago and continues expanding to feed as many students as possible.
A recent poll from No Kid Hungry Florida shows that 48 percent of Floridians who live in rural areas are struggling with food insecurity.
School Food Service Director Nikki Hawthrone said they see improvements in productivity from students when their bellies are full.
“Typically, when you have this model,” Hawthrone said, “there’s less visits to the nurse, they’re more alert. Their tardiness is less, so there’s a lot of benefits to this model.”
It’s also National School Breakfast Week, so school officials encourage other districts in the state to give the program a try.