As a longtime and committed partner of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Feeding Florida’s network of food banks is working closely with Florida growers to deploy the necessary resources to recover and move food and supplies quickly and efficiently throughout the state to families in need.

In March, we helped place an estimated 5 million pounds of produce within Florida and throughout the Feeding America national network of food banks. Florida growers are putting together boxes of mixed fruits and vegetables so harvested produce can move and packing lines can continue. We are buying and moving these products to areas of need in and out of the state. Our Florida growers work tirelessly to grow nutritious food to feed our country, and we will work tirelessly to help them through this unprecedented time.

There is always a limit on the quantity of produce we can accept because storage is an issue for perishable products such as fruits and vegetables, and COVID-19 has put even more pressure on that supply chain. To increase the number of perishable products that Feeding Florida can recover, we are developing innovative approaches to extend the shelf life of these products. We are partnering with businesses throughout the state who can support our distribution endeavors.

Our teams are in constant communication. Growers who have extra produce are asked to contact Sherri Atwell, sherri@feedingflorida.org. Together we will help keep Florida growing.