The Marion County School Board will vote next week on a new grant aimed at increasing breakfast participation at 22 local schools where fewer than half of students currently eat the morning meal.
During its upcoming meeting on Tuesday, March 24, the Marion County School Board will review a request to approve the “No Kid Hungry Florida Breakfast Grant.”
The $85,000 award will be used by the district’s Food and Nutrition Services to expand access to the School Breakfast Program at 22 specific schools where student participation rates are currently below 50%.
Free breakfast and lunch is currently provided to all students, regardless of family income, at 56 schools across the county.
The new grant, which marks the first time the district has applied for this specific funding, is provided by No Kid Hungry, a national organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger by targeting communities with the greatest need.
The district says the funds will be used to purchase specialized equipment designed to remove common barriers to breakfast, such as transportation delays or limited time before the first bell.
New equipment will include “grab and go” kiosks, mobile breakfast carts, open-air merchandisers, and mobile point-of-sale systems.
These enhancements are intended to provide multiple access points for students, allowing them to pick up a meal quickly even if they arrive at school just before classes begin.
The grant period is scheduled to run for one year, beginning April 1, 2026, and lasting through April 1, 2027.
The Marion County School Board meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, at the district headquarters located at 1614 E. Fort King Street in Ocala.