As students have settled into the routine of a new school year, there are tens of thousands who benefited this summer from nutrition assistance provided by All Faiths Food Bank and trusted community partners, powered by generous donors, businesses, and foundations. Nearly 40,000 children in Sarasota and DeSoto counties rely on free and reduced-cost meals at school; when school ends, they lose access to these meals. All Faiths Food Bank (AFFB) is continuously looking for ways to more effectively reach areas that are underserved; thanks to funding from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, AFFB launched a new summer food pantry pilot program in Newtown – as well as continued previously offered nutrition assistance efforts – which provided food for Sarasota children over the summer. The $25,000 grant, from the Leslie and Margaret Weller Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, supported the pilot food pantry program at the Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library. Within North Sarasota, AFFB has identified a subset of nine census blocks, including Newtown, with high meal deficits. This area also has a SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) gap of 50% – meaning half of the residents qualify for benefits, but are not currently accessing them. Newtown’s median household income is $32,500, significantly below Sarasota’s median household income of $42,500. This pilot served to enhance AFFB’s Campaign Against Summer Hunger, which has become our community’s strongest line of defense against child hunger since it was introduced 11 years ago. The Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library, located in Newtown Estates, has been a partner of AFFB for several years, distributing summer "BackPacks" of food for children during the summer months when school is not in session. A typical bag includes eight to 10 nutritious, child-friendly, ready-to-eat foods – including two breakfasts, two lunches and several snacks. Building on this partnership, the first pilot pantry at the library was launched last November, connecting food insecure neighbors to emergency food and opening the door to AFFB services that provide consistent access to nutritious food, benefits assistance, nutrition education and case management. The library supplied food boxes containing 12 meals, food distribution schedules, and benefits eligibility and assistance resources. In addition to the food boxes, the library pantry continued to distribute BackPacks of food to children all summer long. Offering an additional box of food to the parents or guardians was an invitation to engage with AFFB’s available services and gain food security and assistance toward improved financial stability. The traditional summer BackPack program also includes other partnerships in the Newtown area: Roy McBean Boys & Girls Club, Newtown Estates Boys & Girls Club and the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex. These locations distributed BackPacks provided by AFFB to the children enrolled in summer programs. The food in the bags is purchased – not donated – to ensure quality and nutritional value. AFFB projected the distribution of 6,180 backpacks by partners in Newtown from June through August of 2024.

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