West Florida Public Libraries is excited to announce another successful summer for the “Meals for Youths” program. From May 25 until Aug. 9, library staff distributed a total of 3,719 meals at seven WFPL locations across Escambia County.
The total number of meals served at each location are as follows:
Tryon: 1,142
Pensacola: 821
Molino: 521
Southwest: 422
Westside: 378
Century: 226
Genealogy: 209
Held during the summer months, “Meals for Youths” offers free lunch for youths 18 years of age or younger. Disabled individuals 19 years of age or older who participate in a public or private non-profit school program during the school year are also eligible to receive meals. The program is sponsored by Feeding the Gulf Coast, a Feeding America-affiliated food bank serving 24 counties throughout south Alabama, south Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle.
According to its 2021 tax return, Feeding the Gulf Coast had $51,941,393 gross receipts. The group’s website says that 1 in 6 individuals need food assistance. There were 76 days in this period described above excluding weekends and holidays. I drive by the Genealogy library several times a week, see its sign and see no kids. Now I know why. Feeding the Gulf Coast served 209 total meals this past summer at the Genealogy library. That’s less than 3 a day. The group feeds less than 50 kids a day in Escambia County. Next summer, I’ll drop into the library to see what is considered a “meal.” In truth, I bet most kids would be happier and maybe healthier if they got vouchers to go to their favorite fast food joint for lunch each day.