WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — At The Soup Kitchen in Boynton Beach, they’ve been hard at work.
“I love it here, I really do,” Barbara Bruno, a volunteer, said.
Bruno has been volunteering here for three years and in that time, she’s seen the need grow.
“It’s shocking. You go in the stores, and it’s like heart attack city,” Bruno said. “They see, fruit, strawberry and they’re like, 'oh my god,' it’s like mana from heaven.”
“Every month, we see 100 more people coming in every single day,” Marlene Mejia, CEO for The Soup Kitchen, said.
Mejia told WPTV they served a record number of people and $13 million worth of donated food last year, because of rising food prices and they expect 2024 to be just as busy.
“A lot of times they say, they wouldn’t know what to do if we didn’t exist," Dimitry Viarenich, Chief Operating Officer for The Soup Kitchen, said. "They would be in a real tough spot.”
According to a new study by HelpAdvisor.com, South Floridians are pay roughly $287 per week for groceries, which is the fifth highest prices in the nation.
WalletHub also did a similar study surrounding inflation.
“We’re seeing improvements as far as that inflation number goes. However, that can vary depending upon the area that you’re in,” Cassandra Happe, an analyst with WalletHub, told WPTV.
WalletHub’s new study found that the West Palm Beach/Ft. Lauderdale/Miami metro area is the second in the nation on a list of cities dealing with the “biggest inflation problems.”
“With Florida in particular, transportation costs do come into play being on the outskirts of the nation, so to speak," Happe said. "Getting things from other states are going to typically cost a little bit more compared to more central states.”
That’s one reason why organizations like The Soup Kitchen are looking for both donations and more volunteers to help keep their community fed, while food prices are so high.
“Giving them food, there’s such gratitude," Cheryl Edwards, a volunteer, said. "The people that come by here are so grateful for what you’re doing.”
“It’s very heartwarming to help these people in any way we can,” Bruno said.