FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — On the last weekend before the new school year starts, organizations across South Florida are making sure kids have what they need to be successful.

The Peanut Butter Jelly Project took over the second floor at Fort Lauderdale High School this year, as organizers stacked tables with backpacks, notebooks, pens and pencils.

All of the supplies were ready for students like Valeria Ruiz, who is looking forward to beginning fifth grade.

“I’m excited to start school next week because school is a place you make friends and you start learning about new things every year,” she said.

For 10 years now, Peanut Butter Jelly Project founder Brooke Waltzer has been lightening the load for families in need.

“Some of these lists that they get are $250-$300 for the whole school year,” she said. “Sometimes that means paying a light bill or getting your kids school supplies that they need.”

To go along with the new school supplies, changes are coming to the breakfast and lunch menus at schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

The universal free lunch programs have ended for many students, as only 141 Broward schools will offer free lunch while in Miami-Dade, only 121 schools will continue with free lunch.

For campuses that don’t qualify, parents will need to submit an application to determine whether their child can receive free or reduced lunch.

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