<p>It’s been over a week since Hurricane Idalia ripped through the Big Bend, and the Feeding Florida network of food banks have been non-stop ever since.</p> <p>Mobilized before Idalia made landfall, 9 food banks across the state immediately began assessing the damage and focused our attention and resources on the hard-hit rural areas, beginning mass […]

Feeding Florida’s efforts across the state have helped individuals and families in 23 counties, deploying critical resources through 44 mass distributions, agency drops, and site visits.

After disaster strikes, our food banks are ready to help. While we understand the steps and process to administering this help, we realize not everyone does. So how about a little inside peek into the process our statewide network and our food banks take on after a hurricane hits?

Mass feeding after a crisis really takes on an emergency approach. First you triage, and then you treat for long-term care. This is the process behind distributing food after a disaster because so many are left without food, water, electricity, and sometimes even homes.

By Friday, the group had set up 2 mega-distributions in the cities of Perry and Cross City where more than 2,000 households were able to obtain critical resources as they recover from the storm. The Feeding Florida network of food banks has been hard at work since even before Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend area, preparing to mobilize food and other resources to affected communities.

It’s back-to-school season – a time of excitement and anticipation for many children. However, for some kids, going back to school also means a stability they don’t always have at home – it means more food, healthy meals, and a temporary support for food insecurity they live with every day. Back-to-school meal programs and school pantries make a huge difference in the lives of families and children experiencing hunger.

As lawmakers finalize the 2023-24 state budget, Feeding Florida Executive Director Robin Safley spoke to Florida Politics about the mission of the organization and what it is able to accomplish with state support.

While inflation appears to be easing, many nonprofits across the country have yet to feel relief and are preparing for what appears to be a likely recession later this year.
“Not only did inflation hit the clients and the neighbors that we serve but it hit us, too,” says Robin Safley, executive director of Feeding Florida, a statewide network of food banks.

Ensuring access to fresh, nutritious food is a crucial element in building healthy communities. At the Feeding Florida network of food banks, we represent more than just a food distribution system; we are a community investment. Our food banks strive to ensure struggling Floridians have access to the resources they need, even beyond food, to stabilize their households and thrive on their own.

As a lifelong agriculturist, farmer and the current manager at L&M Farms of North Florida, I have seen firsthand the benefits of partnering with the Feeding Florida network to provide nutritious produce to our neighbors in need. During a recent visit to Tallahassee with Executive Director Robin Safley and her team, I gained a better understanding of the work that Feeding Florida does and the vital role Florida farmers play in helping to address food insecurity.

After Hurricane Ian, the investment that Florida has made over the years – both from the public and private sectors – helped thousands of families impacted by Ian. Our local food bank was impacted in the wake of the storm, but we were still able to quickly partner with nearby food banks and government agencies to get desperately needed provisions into the hands of families in need.