LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Boca Helping Hands reported on Thursday that there is an increased demand for food among the working poor at its distribution center in Lake Worth Beach.
The organization said it typically serves 400 hot meals each week but an increasing number of local residents have been showing up for help, with 543 this past week, an increase of almost 36%.
"The growth in numbers over the last month may reflect the effect of more people falling off of the SNAP eligibility," Andrew Hagen, CEO of Boca Helping Hands, said. "Hundreds of thousands of Floridians have lost these benefits over the past year."
The organization said it launched its Lake Worth Beach distribution site at Proclaim Church in 2021, working with a small group of volunteers, preparing hot meals for those in need. What began as a small experiment has grown into one the organization's most successful community programs.
The program relies heavily on recovered and donated food and is supported by donors who help the organization continue meeting growing demand. For Hagen, though, the Friday evening distributions represent something beyond a meal count.
“We are thrilled to offer a good meal to someone who needs it,” he said. “But I think the bigger thing we offer here is hope. People can’t live without it.”
