Longtime community activist Sandra Pelham sees the bleak picture year after year in South Brevard — the parents who can’t keep up with grocery bills as prices rise but income doesn’t. Those who, despite herculean efforts, can’t easily provide their families with sufficient food.
Pelham knows that when summer hits, and children aren’t getting meals at school, there’s a pressing need for food-focused programs like the one she founded in 2008, as a neighborhood initiative of grandmothers and church leaders, to provide nutritious food for area youth.
And that’s why she persists year after year in seeing that funding comes through for the Community Read and Feed program, one of several options for Space Coast families looking for free summer breakfast and lunch options for their children.
“They are feeding over 100 children every day this year,” said Pelham, who’s had to step back a little from actively running the program and depends on dedicated volunteers and a stable of donors.
‘It’s a lot of work,” she said, but “I’d do it all over again – it’s so needed and we have so much support. God has truly blessed us.”
Brevard parents have three solid options, including the Community Read and Feed, for seeing that their children are well fed this summer.
They can choose from:
- Summer Breakspot sites, which offers meals at schools and other organizations;
- Community Read and Feed in South Brevard with food and reading oportunities; and
- Summer Feed and Read, a joint effort of United Way Space Coast and The Children’s Hunger Project, with sites countywide.
Each one, no matter their location, is centered on providing nutrition for kids, some of whom might not get the meal they need and in some cases, also have access to free books.
Here’s a look at three close-to-home options for parents whose children can use not only a meal, but socialization and reading opportunities, too. Hours, meals and reading opportunities will vary; contact individual programs for detailed information.
Hunger takes no summer break
This year, through the SummerBreakSpot program, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is partnering with schools and organizations to provide free meals to kids and teens from low-income areas throughout the Sunshine State; Summer BreakSpot is part of the National Summer Food Service Program, a federally funded program operated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Children 18 and younger can get free lunch and breakfast at those spots and they’re found all over Brevard County for the 2025 program — in schools, community and youth centers, parks and more, in Mims, Titusville, Cocoa, Rockledge, Melbourne and Palm Bay.
More than 60 locations in all are available on the Space Coast, with hours varying according to location. An easy-to-navigate map of locations is available at summerbreakspot.org/find-location. Families can also call 211 or 850-617-7170.
Janet Murnaghan, a spokesperson for Brevard Public Schools, said breakfast and lunch are available at the various sites for kids younger than 18. Children don’t need to attend camp to get a meal, though they do need to come during meal service times.
Lunch in South Brevard: ‘The need never decreases’
Decades ago, Sandra Pelham’s parents, Ruby and Jessie Price, owned Ruby’s Grocery Store, which was part of the south Melbourne community for a half century.
Now Pelham, who worked for the Florida Department of Children and Families for 25 years and was FLORIDA TODAY’s Volunteer of the Year in 2017, continues to nourish families in that area.
Through Aug. 7, kids 3 to 19 are welcome at the Community Read and Feed programs which take place on a schedule spread between three different churches.
Lunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at Church of Christ, 1281 Florida Ave., Palm Bay; 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays at Allen Chapel AME Church, 2416 Lipscomb St., Melbourne; and on Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Scott Chapel, 2510 Bruce D. Buggs St., Melbourne.
Additionally, on Tuesday and Thursday, children can pick up pre-packaged meals at Club Esteem, 3316 Monroe St., Melbourne.
Those factors — but most of all, the families — drive her. And it takes a community to make it happen, she said, with longstanding help from local police departments and XXX.
Marcus Smith, a member of the Melbourne City Council, has been involved with the program for the past couple of years and wants to see an even more strategic approach to seeing that local families are being supported.
Pelham, he said, has taught him a lot about the needs of local students. Fifty percent of Melbourne students qualify for free or reduced lunch, he said, and many of them could miss meals and academic progress were it not for programs that work to feed the body and mind.
“Many students, especially from lower-income families, lose critical reading and academic skills,” Smith said. “There’s no structured learning, and they kind of slide. A reading program like this can engage them a little bit and challenge them to stay involved … the Read and Feed program helps in building community. It can help give kids something to do and it’s a way for us to tell them ‘We’re loving you, supporting you. You have options. You have alternatives. You can do something positive.’”
For more details, or to donate or volunteer, reach out to:
- Connie McClary in the Powell subdivision: 321-507-8676
- Lois McCoy at Church of Christ: 321-557-2696
- Dale Haynes at Scott Chapel UMC: 321-984-4586
- Jeannie Hunter at Allen Chapel AME: 321-243-3802
- Club Esteem: 321-409-8942
‘On a mission’ to help kids thrive during summer
In addition to getting meals through school, kids can also be fed and learn something new through the Summer Feed and Read program — an initiative run by United Way Space Coast and The Children’s Hunger Project throughout the season.
“We’re on a mission to make sure every child in Brevard has the food and books they need to thrive during the summer months,” said Caron Partridge, president of United Way Space Coast.
“Our program is all about keeping kids active and learning when school is out. Most of our summer meal sites offer fun, educational and recreational activities to keep kids engaged while they enjoy a healthy meal.”
Under the umbrella of the program, schools, churches, libraries, community centers and parks come together to help provide healthy meals and free books to Brevard’s kids. The meals are served every weekday onsite, and food for the weekend is sent home with families. The program also provides kids with books for their reading level to encourage learning at home and help prevent the “summer slide,” or the learning loss that can occur during the summer months.
Over the course of the summer, the Feed and Read program is expected to distribute approximately 10,000 weekend meal packs and 9,000 books at more than 20 sites throughout Brevard.
Locations, with details about whether or not students must be pre-registered to receive meals and books. can be found on United Way Space Coast’s website under the “Our Work” tab.
Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at [email protected]. X: @_finchwalker. Instagram: @finchwalker_.
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