Feeding Northeast Florida (FNEFL), the region’s largest nonprofit food bank, recently announced its first-ever Summer Snackdown event, presented by Morgan & Morgan, aimed at providing snack packs for area children in need this summer. The event will take place on May 9 at the food bank’s home campus, located at 5425 Old Kings Road in Jacksonville.
For the one in five children facing food insecurity in the local community, summer means losing access to daily meals they rely on during the school year — leaving families struggling to fill in the gaps. This year, FNEFL has designed an event to encourage members of the community to join in the fight against hunger. The Summer Snackdown will be a high-energy event where teams will compete head-to-head to be the undisputed snack packing champions. The event aims to fill 10,000 snack packs for local children in need. The winning team will be crowned Snackdown Champion and receive a prize.
Snack packs, a longstanding program from FNEFL, consist of six items: a beverage, a breakfast item, a salty snack, a shelf-stable fruit, a meat or protein option and one extra snack of any of the previous categories, and cost approximately $5.25 to assemble and distribute, up from the $4 per pack cost last year. The packs are then distributed through a network of agency partners, feeding programs, and schools and summer camps. This important program helps fill the nutritional gaps many children face throughout the year, especially important through the summer months. On average, FNEFL distributes around 2,500 snack packs per week, with a waiting list of more than 5,000 students. The food bank hopes to expand this program with additional funding, sponsorship opportunities, and events like this. This inaugural competitive event will provide immediate nutrition support for vulnerable children, while also raising awareness and vital funding for FNEFL’s ongoing mission to end hunger in Northeast and North Central Florida.
Tickets start at $25 for individuals, with group, corporate and sponsorship rates also available. For more information or to register for the Summer Snackdown event, visit feedingnefl.org/snackdown.
