The Harry Chapin Food Bank is holding a new emergency mobile pantry Friday on Pine Island, in addition to the mobile pantries we have been holding on Fort Myers Beach to help those impacted by red tide.
The new pantry will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Sept. 21, at the Pine Island United Methodist Church, 5701 Pine Island Road, in Bokeelia. The pantry may continue on subsequent Fridays, depending on the response to the first one and whether the location can be finalized for further distributions.
In the meantime, the emergency mobile pantries will continue from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays on Fort Myers Beach, at 1510 Estero Blvd.
Red tide in salt water and green algae in fresh water have hurt businesses, particularly in the tourism and hospitality industries, and made it difficult for their employees and other residents to make ends meet and feed their families.
Each mobile pantry can serve up to 250 households per distribution. Clients receive 35 to 40 pounds of a variety of food, which may include fresh produce, meat, and bread, along with a variety of canned and dry goods such as peanut butter, beans, rice, juice, cereal, and fruit.
Over the last four weeks, the Fort Myers Beach pantry has distributed 18,199 pounds of food (more than nine tons!) to 617 households.
Residents can also get help at one of the 23 mobile pantries the food bank holds monthly or one of the more than 150 partner agencies the food bank provides food to across Southwest Florida.
For a calendar listing of mobile pantries, please visit our website at this link: harrychapinfoodbank.org/about-us/mobile-pantry-schedule.
For a listing of partner agencies and their locations, please visit: harrychapinfoodbank.org/about-us/partner-agencies.