BELLE GLADE, Fla. — Creating an appetite for food distribution in western Palm Beach County has filled more than just plates at the kitchen table. For many in the Glades communities, it's the single source of nutrition for those less fortunate.
Lois Monroe has a front row seat to a sizeable problem facing Belle Glade.
"There's clients coming at 1 o'clock in the morning to get numbers because they want to make sure the food does not run out," Monroe said.
The amount of people who show up every Wednesday at the Farmworker Coordinating Council's food distribution is astonishing. The weekly event draws 150 residents of the Glades for free produce, meat, canned goods, dry goods and even toiletries.
It's an effort to keep those in need, stocked at home, who could be on the brink of starvation without it.
"The groceries are so high, all the stuff in all the stores is so high and I have to find some place to feed my family," Berly Exilhomme told WPTV.
The seasonal worker and mother of four represents the suffering so many endure daily in western Palm Beach County.
"After COVID the numbers were triple because for obvious reasons, and now with inflation that is affecting so many that they're not able to meet their basic needs, it's increasing every day, more and more clients are in need," Denise Negron, executive director for the Farmworker Coordinating Council of Palm Beach County, said.
Their handouts are a lifeline to these people. Food donated from Feeding South Florida, the Palm Beach County Food Bank and Farm Share goes right into the homes of those less fortunate and right into the heart of tackling hunger, one by one, week by week.
"I think if a lot of people didn't get this food, there would be a lot more people that are homeless," Monroe said.
The Farmworker Coordinating Council of Palm Beach County has another food distribution weekly in Lake Worth to help support surrounding communities. Anyone who would like to donate can do so by clicking here.