Food for Kids outlines scale of child food insecurity in Bradford County and asks commissioners to consider funding

Margo DeCana, executive director of the Food for Kids backpack program of North Florida, told the Bradford County Board of County Commissioners that childhood food insecurity has grown locally and that her nonprofit fills weekend food gaps for enrolled students.

DeCana said the program now serves more than 1,300 students across four counties and 167 children in Bradford County. She described the program’s referral-and-consent model: schools identify chronically hungry children, a school liaison sends consent forms to families and volunteers pack and deliver weekend bags locally. "Each one of our weekend bags contains about 28 meals," DeCana said, and "each bag provides meals for up to 4 children in the home." She added that Food for Kids is not government funded: "We are not government funded. We don't receive any federal, state, or even local funding at this time."

DeCana traced the group's origin to 2010 and described partnerships that lower purchase costs, including the Florida Peanut Federation and Hunger Fight, which provide staples such as peanut butter and dry sides. She said the program buys food in bulk to stretch donor dollars and described holiday and break boxes used during Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks.

Board members pressed for program data. DeCana said recent Feeding America-derived figures show child food insecurity up statewide and locally — she told commissioners that child food insecurity in Bradford County has risen more than 24% since 2020 and that roughly 25.3% of children in the county face food insecurity. She also told the board that the program’s family surveys recently achieved close to a 90% response rate after using text, QR codes and small incentives, and that survey feedback led the group to change packing choices when families reported dislikes ("We cut it back to one can of beans once a month," she said).

DeCana asked commissioners to consider an appropriation in next year's budget to support the Bradford County component of the program and invited elected officials to an open house at the Food for Kids warehouse in Gainesville on Jan. 30. She described volunteer needs (local packing and delivery) and sponsorship opportunities for an inaugural February golf tournament.

The board did not take a funding vote at the meeting. Commissioners thanked DeCana and asked staff follow-up questions about local participation and survey results. The presentation closed with an offer for commissioners and staff to visit the warehouse and observe packing operations.