Jul 15, 2009 7:45 pm US/Eastern
Food 4 South Florida Helps Food Banks In Need
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
The Food 4 South Florida Food Drive is in full swing, and the hunger crisis in South Florida is worse than ever. Stop Hunger Food Bank is in big trouble.
"This is the first time in our 30 years that we have faced the problem of shutting down," said Executive Director, Julius Littman. That's a big change, considering that at one point, Stop Hunger handed out more than 550 thousand meals a month.
So how could this food bank that serves so many of South Florida's hungry now be facing closure?
Arnold Jean Baptiste of the Children's Services Council, who sits on Stop Hunger's board, explained, "The individuals that used to donate to Stop Hunger now are looking to Stop Hunger in order to survive. The donations they used to get have now gone down; they are working hard to get more food and keep the service going."
With more families lining up for food and a decrease in donation, many sacrifices have been made.
"Our volunteers are working full time and getting paid for half time," said Fox.
But it's a sacrifice that many at Stop Hunger are willing to make, because many of them once turned to Stop Hunger for help themselves; it's something volunteer Seven Rosario knows all too well. "It's always good to have a helping hand, they've helped me and now it's my turn to help someone else," Rosario said.
Stop Hunger joined the
Neighbors 4 Neighbors Food 4 South Florida Food Drive this year, and they're hoping the donations from the drive will help keep them up and running through the summer.
"At the end of this month we have no other course; unless we get donations, we will close down our facilities," said Littman. It's something that those who turn to Stop Hunger for food fear.
It's easy to help Stop Hunger and all of our local food bank partners. You can bring in your canned goods and non-perishables to any Chick-Fil-A restaurant in Miami-Dade or Broward. You can also sign up to host a drive at work or as a group at
the Neighbors 4 Neighbors page. You can also give Neighbors 4 Neighbors a call at 305-597-4404.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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