Baldwin County School District Awarded $10,000 Grant to Help Feed Baldwin Kids This Summer

Summer just got a little brighter for Baldwin County children, thanks to a $10,000 grant from No Kid Hungry awarded to the Baldwin County School District’s Summer Meals Program.

The grant, secured through the efforts of A’Keti Mayweather, will help cover vital program costs including outreach, staff support, transportation, and fresh food supplies ensuring that every child who needs a meal this summer gets one.

“We are passing out meals in our drive-thru program so that any child, ages 5 to 18 years old, can come out and get a seven-day meal kit,” said Mayweather. “Each box has breakfast and lunch for the entire week. It’s an incredible way to make sure no child goes hungry during the summer months.”

When school is out, many students lose access to regular, nutritious meals. That’s where the Summer Meals Program steps in providing free weekly meal boxes to children and teens throughout Baldwin County, no questions asked. And this year, thanks to the No Kid Hungry grant, the program has more capacity than ever before.

No Kid Hungry, a campaign by the nonprofit Share Our Strength, supports school districts across the nation by providing funding and expert guidance through their Center for Best Practices. For Baldwin County, that support has already made a tangible difference.

“They were able to help us with things like getting fresh fruit, like blackberries for the families and also provided t-shirts and signage to promote the program,” said Mayweather. “They even helped supplement staffing needs, which means we can serve more families more efficiently.”

The 2025 Summer Meals Program also reintroduces bus routes, which were paused last year. Now, with seven active routes, meal kits are delivered directly to neighborhoods throughout Baldwin County. Thanks to this kind of strategic thinking, Baldwin’s nutrition team has collectively brought in over $600,000 in grants and sponsorships in recent years to support the county’s nutrition and farm-to-school programs.

“I do a lot of research—there are so many grants out there if you take the time to look,” Mayweather said. “We’ve built great relationships with funders and always keep our focus on what’s best for the children.”

The program officially launched the first week of June and will continue every Tuesday through July 15, with distribution sites like Lakeview Academy and bus routes throughout the community.

Mayweather was also quick to thank the many volunteers who return each summer to lend a hand: “We are so appreciative of our volunteers. They come out every year faithfully to help us distribute meals. We couldn’t do this without them.”

For more information on the Summer Meals Program or to find a distribution site or route near you, visit the Baldwin County School Nutrition Program page at www.baldwincountyschoolsga.org.