We live in paradise, but there are some who have dark days here.
According to a new study released last Friday, nearly 200,000 people in Palm Beach County don't know where their next meal will come from. Of that number, about 60,000 kids here go to bed hungry.
The Map the Meal Gap study, conducted by national charity Feeding America, analyzes local food insecurity and food costs across the United States. About 69 percent of the food insecure population in Palm Beach County qualify based on income for food stamps. That leaves 31 percent who rely on emergency food assistance programs to get their next meal.
However, a "rescue" of sorts is happening to make sure there's food on the table for these families. And it's a program many in South Florida might not even know about.
WPTV's Alanna Quillen followed the food to see how the food starts at the grocery store and ends up in the hands of those who need it most.
The grocery store
Grocery stores have thousands upon thousands of food items. But not all of it gets bought by the customer. Some of it may have damage labels or pass the 'best by' date, but it's still good.
That's where Feeding South Florida comes in -- to literally "rescue" the food before it gets thrown out -- and bring it to the tables of those who need it the most.
"In the United States alone, about 40 percent of food that is produced goes to waste. And that's not even taking into account the additional leftovers at a restaurant," said Sari Vatske, VP of community relations for Feeding South Florida. "When we talk about 40 percent waste, we're talking at the production, at the whole sale at the farm level. In South Florida, just 300 million pounds of produce gets tilled under annually."
From the Keys to Palm Beach County, this program rescues 45 million pounds of food each year by partnering with 400 non-profit agencies.
Six days a week, more than fifteen Feeding South Florida semi-trucks visit hundreds of grocery stores across the area and Palm Beach County, rescuing" food that's about to get thrown out.
"We're definitely doing our part to ensure that the food doesn't go to waste. And that's exactly what this supply chain is," said Vatske.
Grocery chains like Publix, Walmart, Target and Winn-Dixie, Costco, Sam's Club and others donate nutritious food items -- both perishable and non-perishable -- to Feeding South Florida to collect and bring back to their warehouses.
Items vary from crackers, trail mix, canned goods, bread and snacks to meat, fruits and vegetables. Each warehouse is equipped with coolers to store the rescued food, most of which is still good, but is no longer sellable to customers due to torn packaging, an approaching expiration date or overstock at the grocery stores.
The warehouse
The dented cans and damaged boxes then travel to a distribution and sorting warehouse in Boynton Beach. The newly built warehouse for Feeding Palm Beach County, a much needed upgrade from their previous PBC location in West Palm Beach, will help the food bank to better distribute food to families in need.
"It's all product that could be too expensive for families to receive," said Vatske.
The new warehouse couldn't have come soon enough. Volunteers are ramping up for a very busy summer season.
"These families are facing a triple threat. So when kids and families aren't in school, they don't have access to breakfast and lunch the way they usually would. So, that's about 555, 000 children around South Florida that would receive free or reduced meals in school," said Vatske. "Those are meals that families are now having to provide in addition to dinner or weekends, which was already a struggle for them. The cost of childcare also goes up because kids aren't in school."
Utilities also increase in the summer.
"So those three things are stacked up against families as they enter the summer months," said Vatske. "So that's where we step in through our summer food service program and mobile pantry program."
Another issue comes from lack of support in the summertime, so food banks have to make sure they have their shelves stocked for summer months.
"Because we have a snowbird population, our support is depleted as well. Most people have gone north for the summer, kids aren't in school," said Vatske.
It's here that churches and nonprofits pick up the food they need to help others. Feeding Palm Beach County works with over 100 non-profits ranging from homeless shelters and soup kitchens to day cares.
The agency posts all of the food online so local groups can get an idea of what they want.
"Our agencies are able to go online and see what's available and they can pick they're order," said Vatske.
On Wednesday, Hector Ramirez with Hacer Ministries sorted through bread to feed 120 families that night.
""We provide food twice a month. We have to get bread and meat, all the canned goods. Most of the people that come to us are people that don't make enough to get by every day," he said. "So if they can get basics once or twice a week, that's $30 or $40 out of their pocket that they can use for something else."
David Kim, who works with the Tree of Life Center in West Palm Beach, relies on the supply from the food bank to feed the homeless.
"We do the best we can to give people a chance, a second chance," he said. "Most of the guys don't have any money at all. They try to use food stamps, but this is a vital part of making sure everyone is fed."
At the warehouse, volunteers are trained sort through everything, checking for dents, open packages, and expiration dates.
"The store couldn't sell this because it's opened," said Vatske, holding up a box of oatmeal packets. "But these packets individually are still perfectly good."
Vatske said for the most part, expiration dates can be fictitious and are not regulated at the federal level.
"Best by date, use by date...they're actually pieces of information that manufactures use to move along the sale of their product."
Alvin Sotleigh, who volunteers for St. Paul's AME Church in West Palm Beach, helps both the homeless and working families. He is originally from Guyana and says he is shocked by the amount of food that is too often wasted in America.
"Back in my country, we don't have enough food to waste. But this country has so much food that they can give to the poor," he said.
The non-profits/churches
From the warehouse, hundreds of nonprofits bring the food back to their pantries.
Metropolitan Community Church in Palm Beach Gardens uses it for a daily distribution.
"It helps a lot. You don't have to buy that. So, every dollar you can save in your pocket is money you can use to do something else," said Anthony Walters, a food pantry recipient and grandfather.
Walters, who is looking for a job, helps to take care of his grandson and children by picking up food at the pantry. He also brings food to feed his neighbors in need.
"I'm able to give to others, too, from what I get," he said. "Food is essential to living. I'm very grateful to God and thankful that these people do it from the heart, they are volunteers and do it gladly."
Catherine Rosendary is 88-years old and looking for a part-time job. She says she's willing to work because she struggles to live day to day.
"If I didn't get this food here, I wouldn't survive because I get $16 a month with the food stamps," she said.
While families depend on these pantries to live, the food rescue cycle continues.
"I pray and I'm thankful every day of my life. And I just thank God," she said. "But He always keep a ram in the bush for me. He makes a way out of no way."
The new warehouse in Boynton Beach is also being turned into creating a community center, with resume workshops, financial literacy, computer training and even a working kitchen.
"The whole idea of this facility is to move families from a place of dependency to self-sufficiency. While we know distributing food can be incredibly important, it can be a Band-Aid on the situation. Hunger is a symptom of something larger, which is poverty and food insecurity. We're trying to break that root cause and underlying issue," said Vatske.
The other wing of the warehouse will be ready to go by the end of the summer, once grant funding comes through in June to finish out the project.
They're also getting ready to break ground on a 6,000 square foot cooler freezer, so they can house about 450 pallets of food under cold air. The warehouse is currently using a smaller, portable cooler until the new freezer is finished.
If you would like to donate or volunteer for your local Feeding South Florida affiliate, click here.
