Feeding South Florida is looking for support to ensure families don’t go hungry as the organization faces steep federal funding cuts in the coming days and months.
The organization said they are preparing for a significant setback, the loss of $3.3 million in federal SNAP-Ed funding that will end Sept. 30. Following that setback, they also expect to lose $8 million in federal funding in December and another $3 million next spring.
These budget cuts will impact many families who rely on the resources provided by Feeding South Florida like Rosa and her family.
Rosa’s a mother of two children who enjoy having plantains, pasta with sauce and other snacks. But with groceries becoming more expensive, it’s become very difficult to keep up and have those favorite foods.
“Times are very difficult. Right now, I’m spending around $200, $250 per week,” Rosa told 7News in Spanish.
While her husband works, it’s her responsibility to take her children to medical appointments, so a once per month visit to Feeding South Florida’s Pembroke Park location makes all the difference.
“I have to take her to therapy and that’s why I can’t afford to go to work,” said Rosa. “But this is helping me a lot.”
The organization’s stocked pantries help bring food for more than a million people across South Florida, like Rosa.
“it’s getting very difficult for us to do what we do and put food on the table for many families who are struggling,” said Feeding South Florida CEO, Paco Velez.
Organization officials say a large portion of that federal money helps local farmers provide produce for the organization, while a smaller portion goes directly to the clients to help themselves.
“We teach basic food budgeting and how to make sure that their dollar stretches and their food stretches and also keep people healthy,” said Velez. “The produce is what’s really gonna be affected. All the healthy products, the fresh products that people struggle to get, that’s what’s gonna be really affected by this $8 million cut.”
The funding cuts were part of nearly a billion dollars slashed from the Department of Agriculture by the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year, which led directly to the cuts in South Florida.
“We are extremely efficient, probably some of the most efficient organizations, our food banks, that you’re gonna find anywhere and the return on investment is pretty significant,” said Velez. “There’s so many families who are struggling and resources keep getting taken away.”
Those resources are critical for families like Rosa to be able to keep going.
“When you come face-to-face with someone and you see the struggles that they’re faced with, you see that they’re doing everything that they can to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head to feed their kids, I mean, you know that your resources are going to a great cause,” said Velez.
While the most immediate effect from the cuts will likely impact their fresh produce, Feeding South Florida said it’s too early to know how much of their operations will be affected.
If you would like to donate to Feeding South Florida, click here.
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