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.
The Farm Bill is the largest piece of legislation in our country that funds food and agricultural systems. Developed by the United States Senate and House of Agriculture Committees, this bill affects the entire food system, including local Florida farmers, our Fresh Access Bucks program, and our food banks. Before both chambers of Congress vote on the 2023 Farm Bill, let’s take a closer look at what it includes and how that impacts the Feeding Florida network.
Feeding Florida’s food banks are poised and ready to provide statewide relief to Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian- planning emergency relief, staging MREs and water in partnership with the State of Florida, and preparing to mobilize to affected communities.
Feeding the Gulf Coast, a member of the Feeding Florida network, in partnership with Simply Healthcare Plans (Simply), hosted a mobile food distribution to provide nutritious and shelf-stable food items for 200 Pensacola families living in high-poverty zip codes. This is one in a series of events across the state to combat hunger relief leveraging Simply’s $300,000 investment over two years.
This Hunger Action Month we want to encourage you to get proactive in the fight against hunger in Florida. With 2.2 million individuals experiencing hunger across the state, there is no shortage of need for support and hunger relief. The Feeding Florida network of food banks offers you plenty of opportunities to help in your local community. With support from volunteers and generous donors, our network is able to further our reach into Florida’s 67 counties and provide relief to those who need us the most.
