CLEARWATER, Fla. – The number of families struggling to put food on the table continues to grow.
According to the Child Welfare Commission, one in eight children in Pinellas County is food insecure.
“But it’s even worse in the summer because schools are out, kids are at home more and don’t have school meals to rely on all summer,” said Houghton, CEO of the Youth Welfare Board.
Horton said the two biggest gaps in summer resources are between the end of the school year and the start of summer school, and at the end of summer before the school year starts again.
JWB and the St. Pete Free Clinic will team up to host six drive-thru mobile food pantries over the summer, providing food to a total of 2,000 families in Pinellas County.
“Every car that comes through this line has a story,” Horton said.
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Cars lined up to receive bags of fresh groceries at a drive-thru food pantry in Clearwater on Saturday, Houghton said.
“It takes a village to raise five kids,” said the father of five.
Houghton says food insecurity continues to grow even after the pandemic.
“More than 50 percent of families in our county live at or below the poverty level, and of those, about 35 percent make or below the minimum living wage,” she said.
Families who come to the drive-thru food pantry say they feel the financial strain every day.
“Every day I feel like I have to make sure my kids are fed, that they have a roof over their head, that everything is taken care of,” one father said.
At the drive-thru food pantry, families received fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat and other groceries. Event organizers also provided supplies for families at other food pantries throughout Pinellas County.
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“This means a lot, it’s tough for a lot of us because we’re working and we can’t afford a lot of things, so just a little bit of extra help would be a big help to the community,” one father said.
Organizers say rising rent costs, grocery store prices and everyday bills often force families to choose between paying those bills and putting food on the table.
About 400 families were evacuated Saturday with food and supplies, he said.
“It’s always incredibly moving,” Houghton said. “Tears flow, people say, ‘Take care,’ and you always hear incredible expressions of gratitude. I often hear, ‘I don’t know what I would have done without this.'”
The Juvenile Welfare Board and St. Pete Free Clinic plan to host several more drive-thru food pantries this summer.
For more information on these events, click here.
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