Friday, September 18, 2020
Last month, your food bank served more than a quarter of a million people. The logistics required to serve a quarter of a million people is incredibly complex. The sheer volume of food that we are managing is astonishing. Our parking lot has been overrun with tracker trailers delivering food. This week alone we distributed 1,078,332 pounds of food. Our colleagues in the warehouse are handling the food twice, once as it is received and again as it is being distributed to those who are hungry. Our trucks have seen a drastic increase in their mileage, by more than 25 percent. We continue to rent four additional trucks as our fleet of 17 trucks is simply insufficient to meet the enormous demand. Managing space in our warehouses remains a challenge due to the constant flow of food required to feed a quarter of a million people monthly.
The scope and scale of how much food we need to buy is overwhelming. Our spending on food has increased from about $37,500 per month to $1,000,000 per month. Our mobile pantries have increased from roughly 30 a month to nearly 50 a month in an effort to help feed the quarter of a million people who are hungry each month in Southwest Florida.
This level of incredible volume is made possible by the thousands of helpers that share our commitment that no one should go hungry. Charles Dickens once said, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” We couldn’t agree more and are so grateful to the many who continue to partner with us in the fight to end hunger. Together, we are achieving miracles.
To support our efforts, please click here.
If you are looking for food, please click here.
If you are well, able, and willing to volunteer, please click here to sign up.