Farm Share, a non-profit whose aim is that no one will go hungry and food will not go to waste, delivered nearly 61,000 pounds of frozen protein products, fresh vegetables, assorted bread, drinks and snack foods to families living in south Miami-Dade County during the morning of Saturday, Mar. 10, at its Homestead facility, 14125 SW 320 St.
Joining in this effort were nearly 100 volunteers from Miami Arts Charter School, FPL, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Elevate Real Estate Brokers, Mt. Mariah Church and individuals within the community who helped bag and process donated goods provided by hundreds of companies and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a Federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans including the elderly, veterans, the disabled and families with children, at no cost to supplement the diets of individuals who are most in need right before the spring holidays.
“Farm Share is humbled by the generosity of the many volunteers who are donating their free time on a Saturday to help us feed more hungry families, children, seniors and individuals in need,” said Stephen R. Shelley, Farm Share’s chief operating officer, “We also appreciate the continued partnership of our local farmers and other donors who provide us with healthy and nutritious produce and other food that enable us to hold such a large scale event.”
Farm Share provided nearly 52 million pounds of food to 10.5 million households during 2017; up from 2016’s efforts of 40.4 million pounds. As hunger increases with a reported 14.7 percent of Floridians and 20.7 percent of its children living below the poverty line, Florida ranked 20th in food insecure households in 2017, where those in need experienced difficulty providing enough food due to a lack of money or other resources at least once during the calendar year.
