MIAMI – With food prices rising 28% over the past five years, many families are struggling to make ends meet, and our local food pantries need your support to keep up with the demand.
It’s become a sign of the times, more and more people are waiting in food lines to supplement their household grocery list, and it’s not just those on or below the poverty line.
Statistics show 24% of middle-income households in the U.S. are now living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Roberto Zamora, a husband and father of two, is a case in point.
“All the landlords raise the prices up and with one job you can’t afford it, you have to work two jobs,” said Zamora, who added that the food pantries help ‘A lot.’
“Groceries are expensive right now,” he said.
The rising cost of food is the common denominator for everyone there. Men, women, single moms, the elderly, all struggling to put food on the table.
James Bensol is 78 years old and recently visited a food distribution for the first time.
“I’m retired, the people have to eat,” Bensol said. “It’s very nice. It’s very helpful.”
Claudia McLean is the executive director of Joshua’s Heart foundation, a youth-run nonprofit her son started almost 20 years ago.
Since then, she’s seen the need increase exponentially.
Weekly, the organization feeds 175 people.
At a mobile food distribution in North Miami Beach, the number jumps to 1,000.
“Families also know that when we’re at an event, they know what to expect,” McLean said. “They know we will give them not only a week’s worth of supplies, but a variety of stuff.”
It’s why the Local 10 Day of Giving is going on 11 years, bringing you these stories and inviting you to help Joshua’s Heart and other local hunger relief organizations.
On Friday, Nov. 8, join Local 10 News anchors and reporters at select Publix stores and donate non-perishable goods.
It’s that easy, and one day of giving can make all the difference this holiday season.
“The more people who know about the circumstances, the better,” said middle school student volunteer Kaitlyn Hoppe. “So you can have more people helping out and that means more people are getting fed every day.”
On Friday, Joshua’s Heart foundation will be at the Publix in Kendall located at 9105 S. Dadeland Blvd. Volunteers will be there to collect non-perishable donations and prepare thanksgiving meals for families.