JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Feeding Northeast Florida just received a $750,000 grant from Walmart and Feeding America to help the group continue its mission to feed those struggling with food insecurity across the region.
Newly released data from Feeding America shows a 17% increase in food insecurity in the 12 counties served by Feeding Northeast Florida during the past year. FNEFL says that means 1 in 7 adults and 1 in 5 children in our region suffer from food insecurity.
The new grant is aimed at broadening the food bank’s transportation, distribution, and storage capabilities.
“This grant is primarily to expand capacity in our agencies,” said President & CEO of Feeding Northeast Florida (FNEFL). “The goal here for both Feeding America and for Walmart is for us to be getting more food from retailers that we currently pick up to increase the number of opportunities to pick that food up.”
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The grant comes two months after federal funding cuts by the U.S. Government to some USDA programs went into effect, greatly impacting the food bank’s food supply.
“We’ve seen a pretty significant increase in the need and don’t anticipate that that’s going to be that much different,” said King.
King says that although the grant will not help increase her organization’s food supply, she’s excited about how it’s going to help their agencies continue their mission.
“The agencies that we serve, they are the boots on the ground. They are the ones doing the work, directly distributing to our partners,” said King. “When we can help them, you know, lift up their organizations and be able to do more work and more efficient work and we get more pounds into their agencies, that’s more pounds feeding families.”
The Shania Twain Foundation also recently committed $25,000 dollars to Feeding Northeast Florida as part of her foundation’s commitment to help give back to the cities in which she performs.
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