No School Shouldn’t Mean No Food: Break Bites Supports Families This Summer

When school lets out for summer, many families face an added challenge. Children who rely on free school breakfasts and lunches during the school year no longer have access to those meals, increasing the amount of food families need to provide at home.

This summer, Alabama Childhood Food Solutions (ACFS) is helping bridge that gap through Break Bites, our summer food assistance program for families with children.

For the second consecutive year, ACFS has partnered with the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama through its SunnyBites program. Through this partnership, approximately 200 ACFS families receive an average of 29 pounds of kid-friendly food each month.

But this summer, ACFS wanted to reach even more families.

Expanding Summer Support

Thanks to the generosity of those who supported ACFS at our 2026 Vision Dinner, we were able to expand summer food assistance through Break Bites. Those funds made it possible for ACFS to expand Break Bites and provide summer food support to even more families with children.

Together, these efforts are helping make sure families have dependable food support throughout June, July and August.

Break Bites by the Numbers

The impact has already been significant.

In June, ACFS provided summer food assistance to 571 families. Each family received an average of 29 pounds of food, totaling approximately 16,559 pounds of food distributed during the month.

In July, 559 families received food through the program.

That means Break Bites has continued to serve more than 500 families each month during a time when children are away from the dependable meals they receive at school.

And the summer is not over yet. Break Bites will continue serving families through August.

Meeting a Need Beyond Summer

Break Bites was created to address a simple reality: hunger does not follow the school calendar.

The success of the program this summer is also helping shape how ACFS plans to support families during the upcoming 2026–2027 school year.

ACFS plans to provide additional food assistance for families with children during major school breaks, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring Break. These extended breaks can create the same challenges families experience during the summer as children spend more days at home without access to school meals.

By expanding food support during these times, ACFS can continue working toward a consistent source of food for children and families throughout the year.

Made Possible by Our Community

Break Bites would not be possible without the generosity of our donors, the dedication of our volunteers and our continued partnership with the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.

Every contribution, volunteer hour and community partnership helps ACFS provide dependable food support when families need it most.

As Break Bites continues through August, we are grateful for everyone helping ensure that no school does not mean no food for the children and families we serve.