Lee County, Florida
“I’m here not because I want to be, but because I’m on Social Security and I can’t make it,” said Alan, who arrived early at a drive-thru distribution in Lehigh Acres and secured a place near the front of the line. He lives with a friend who has two children, and she just lost her job due to the coronavirus. “I can’t buy staples. People are hoarding everything. It’s getting a bit tight. It was tight before she lost her job.”
Alan said that he volunteers at a different church pantry and that makes him feel a little better about accepting help here, despite the fact that financial strife is facing nearly everyone since the pandemic took hold. “I feel like I have a sense of worth. I feel like I’m earning my food,” he said.