Jacksonville, FL food truck “The Food Doctor” expands free summer lunch program

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As schools close for the summer and many children lose access to daily meals, a Jacksonville food truck called The Food Doctor has stepped in to fill the gap with a rapidly growing Summer Lunch Program. The initiative began serving an average of 60 children a day. But demand has already climbed to more than 75 kids daily, according to Action Jax News.

About The Food Doctor

Owner Tyrica Moore, known in the community as Mrs. Tea, launched the program after recognizing that families in the Northside often struggle to find consistent access to food during the summer months. She told Action News Jax that the Northside is a food desert and said she feels called to help parents keep their children fed while school is out.

How the Program Works

The Food Doctor operates on a pay‑it‑forward system. Community members can purchase meals in advance, and staff tape the receipts to the truck’s window. When children arrive, they select a prepaid receipt and receive a free lunch. Moore says this model lets kids choose their meal with dignity and ensures no child is turned away.

Menu options include shrimp, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders and fries — choices that make the program feel like a treat rather than a handout. Families say the meals help relieve daily stress and guarantee their children have something nutritious to eat.

Community Support Driving Expansion

Moore told Action News Jax the program has already seen a strong community response, with donations helping cover additional meals for children across the Northside. She said support has come not only from Jacksonville residents but also from donors in the UK and Canada.

Local parents say the program has become essential. Some children arrive before the truck opens, a sign of how much families rely on the service. More than 200 meals have already been served, and daily totals continue to rise.

Funding Needed to Keep Up With Demand

To sustain and expand the program, The Food Doctor is seeking continued community support through donations, sponsorships and meal purchases. Moore hopes to increase staffing, add Mondays to the schedule and ensure that every child who shows up leaves with a meal.

Moore says the mission goes beyond food. She sees the program as a way to support parents, strengthen community ties and show children they are cared for.

“I love serving the children,” she said. “Most importantly, I love assisting the parents because the economy is rough for a lot of us right now.”

A GoFundMe has been launched to support their cause.