When the United States Department of Agriculture in 2023 changed its criteria for what areas are considered rural, it expanded the reach of the Alachua County Public School District’s Summer Food Service Program.
With its expanded reach, the district quadrupled the number of “non-congregate” summer meals it served in the summer of 2024 over the number it served in 2023, according to Jamie Lovett, director of food and nutrition services for the district.
Non-congregate programs allow families to pick up meals or meal ingredients to take home rather than having children eat on site, according to a district press release announcing that Lovett was chosen as one of just 11 individuals from across the nation selected as a “Summer Hunger Hero” by No Kid Hungry, a national campaign established in 2010 to reduce child hunger…