Case study: A summer feeding success in Hendry County

Meeting students where they are means removing barriers to access. See how Hendry County reimagined its school bus fleet to deliver meals directly to rural communities, dramatically increasing summer feeding participation.

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The Challenge

Promotional sign for Florida's Summer BreakSpot program offering free meals to children and teens ages 18 and under.

Hendry County is one of Florida’s rural school districts, serving approximately 7,500 students across a wide geographic area. The district operates out of two towns, LaBelle and Clewiston, located nearly 30 miles apart. During the summer months, this distance created a significant barrier to access, limiting the district’s ability to reach children who rely on school meals during the academic year.

Compounding the challenge, schools were not open to the general public during summer feeding times. Without the staffing required for supervision and security, students could only receive meals if they were enrolled in programs such as summer school, band camp or athletic camps. As a result, many children were left without access to meals and faced food insecurity.

Traditional solutions, including meal delivery vans, simply couldn’t cover enough ground to meet the need.

The insight: What if meals traveled instead of students?

Sodexo leaders recognized a simple but powerful truth: no one knows where students live better than bus drivers.

With that insight, the district explored an innovative partnership between nutrition services and the transportation department. The idea was straightforward: use school buses not to transport students, but to transport meals directly into the communities where children live.

This approach aligned with a growing sense among district leadership and board members that more could and should be done to reach students during the summer months, especially in the most remote parts of the county.

See the solutions

Meal delivery via school buses
allowing access to neighborhoods that vans could not efficiently reach
Strategic bus routes
beginning near schools and expanding outward into rural communities
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Multiple daily stops
with a minimum of five stops per bus
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Flexible meal distribution schedule
Hot meals served earlier in the week, paired with multi-pack meals later in the week
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Thursday multi-pack distributions
providing breakfast and lunch for the following day to account for district closures on Fridays
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The Results: A model that continues to grow

Since launching the bus-based summer feeding model, impact was immediate and measurable. Meal participation has grown dramatically year over year.

This sustained growth reflects the program’s ability to reach children who previously had no practical way to access summer meals, particularly those living in the most rural parts of the county.

Perhaps most telling is the program’s momentum. Board members representing even more remote areas have since approached the district with new opportunities to expand service. This provides clear evidence that the model is working and that community trust is growing.

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total summer meals served in 2023

total summer meals served in 2024 (118.7% increase year over year)

total summer meals served in 2025 (30.5% increase year over year)

Looking ahead: Continuing to meet students where they are

School dining staff assembling meals in the kitchen for summer meal distribution.

With strong cross-department collaboration, proven logistics and growing community demand, Hendry County’s summer feeding program is positioned for continued expansion in the coming years.

By reimagining how existing resources, like school buses and drivers, can be used beyond their traditional roles, the district has created a scalable, student-centered solution that helps fight food insecurity and ensures more children have reliable access to meals when school is out.

The takeaway: Innovation doesn’t always require new resources. Sometimes it just requires a new way of thinking about the ones you already have.

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Meeting students where they are starts with reimagining what's possible.

By leveraging existing resources in new ways, Hendry County expanded access to nutritious meals for students who needed them most. Their success shows that innovative solutions to food insecurity can begin with the assets already in your community.

Learn more about fighting food insecurity

Case study: A summer feeding success in Hendry County

The Challenge

The insight: What if meals traveled instead of students?

Meal delivery via school buses

Strategic bus routes

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Multiple daily stops

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Flexible meal distribution schedule

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Thursday multi-pack distributions

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The Results: A model that continues to grow

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Looking ahead: Continuing to meet students where they are

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Meeting students where they are starts with reimagining what's possible.

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Strategic bus routes

Multiple daily stops

Flexible meal distribution schedule

Thursday multi-pack distributions

The Results: A model that continues to grow

Looking ahead: Continuing to meet students where they are

Meeting students where they are starts with reimagining what's possible.