LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — The Palm Beach County Food Bank and county officials are partnering to host an emergency drive-through food distribution event in Lake Worth Beach on Friday.
The event will take place at John Prince Park from 10 a.m. to noon.
Food Bank volunteers will load cars with non-perishable food, protein items and assorted fresh produce on a first-come, first-served basis while they last.
A two-household maximum per vehicle will be enforced for residents who drive through in vehicles, entering the park's Eric Call Pavilion via 4759 Congress Ave.
"Thanks to private donors and our partnership with Palm Beach County, we began purchasing supplies in anticipation of this emergency distribution when the need became increasingly dire," Food Bank CEO Jamie Kendall said. "We had already been seeing an increased need with many of our partners last month, as federal workers who were furloughed or working without pay turned up seeking help feeding their families. And now, with more than 160,000 SNAP recipients in Palm Beach County not receiving funds in their accounts, we have seniors, veterans and families who don’t know where their next meal will come from. We hope this event can offer some desperately needed immediate relief."
The agency said volunteers are needed to load cars and direct traffic on the day of the event. To donate time for the food drive, visit pbcfoodbank.org/volunteer. For a list of partnering agencies of the PBCFB who are also distributing food, visit pbcfoodbank.org/find-food.
"The face of hunger has changed in recent years," continued Kendall. "One in eight people often don't know where their next meal will come from. Many more working families and multi-generational families are struggling to put food on the table as housing costs and other costs of living increase in this market. Thanks to our buying power, we are able to transform every dollar donated into five meals for children, seniors, families, and neighbors in need experiencing food insecurity. If people are looking for ways to help their hungry neighbors, donations of all sizes are critical. Every dollar and every pound of food that is donated stays here in Palm Beach County. We are the only Food Bank focused solely on helping Palm Beach County residents."
The Palm Beach County Food Bank said there are 192,000 food-insecure residents throughout the county.
Click here for more information about Friday's event, food resources, volunteer opportunities or to donate.
