JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The need for food is increasing amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to Feeding Northeast Florida.
Susan King, president and CEO of the nonprofit, said 1 in 4 adults in our area are facing some sort of food insecurity. She said its partner agencies are seeing a new need because of the impact of the pandemic.
“They are reporting to us that they are consistently seeing as high as 60%, now about 30%, of the people that they are serving are accessing charity food for the first time in their lives,” explained King.
King said food donations are also down heading into the holiday season.
“I would say that our food donations are significantly down,” said King. “Luckily, we have been able to provide food through the USDA CFAP (U.S. Department of Agriculture Coronavirus Food Assistance Program). We’ve also been purchasing food out of the market. Tractor-trailer loads every week are coming in. It’s a tricky time, but, luckily, we have been able to work hard, increase the distributions and hopefully be meeting a significant increase in need.”
If you are able and want to help, you can donate by visiting feedingnefl.org. According to the organization, $1 can help provide six meals.