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MIAMI (WSVN) - More organizations are opening food pantries to help as many South Florida families as they can during the coronavirus pandemic.
7News cameras captured cars pulling up to Miami Northwestern Senior High School, as a food giveaway got underway, Thursday afternoon.
The school will continue giving food to students and their families until around 7 p.m.
Hours earlier, Farm Share gave away close to 600 meals to families at a drive-thru distribution at the Le Jardin Community Center, located at 107 SW 8th St., in Homestead.
The event was scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and go until 1 p.m., but due to the amount of people lined up, they opened the event at 8 a.m. and wrapped up at around 10:45 a.m.
The distribution was held for residents of Homestead and Florida City.
One of the recipients said it has been a challenge to stay afloat during this uncertain time.
“Just trying to go day by day and figure things out as you go,” she said.
“The need is real here,” said Audelia Martinez with Le Jardin. “It’s a food desert here. They need it. As days go by, a lot of people are unemployed and they need food. These are the most vulnerable children and families.”
In Hialeah Gardens, Feeding South Florida distributed food at Mater Academy until noon.
Feeding South Florida also made several other similar events possible in Broward County.
In Fort Lauderdale, lines formed before 5 a.m. at a food distribution held at the Pantry of Broward, located at 610 N.W. 3rd Ave., Thursday.
The distribution was set to begin at 9 a.m. but started earlier due to the number of drivers already waiting in line.
“We actually had people outside before 5 a.m. lined up and ready to go, and we saw that in our first couple distributions as well,” said one Pantry of Broward organizer.
Drivers approached the distribution tables with their vehicles’ windows up and their trunks open. Hundreds of people received bags of fresh food and went on their way without having contact with the volunteers distributing the groceries.
“So what I’m doing is, whatever food I get from these things, I spread to all my neighbors,” said recipient Cary Kaplan. “A lot of my neighbors don’t have cars.”
Organizers said they distributed approximately 600 packages of food by the end of the drive.
Feeding South Florida also held a massive food distribution at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines.
“We slated for 10 o’clock to 12 o’clock, cars were lined up at 6 a.m.,” said Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis. “We’ve got plenty of food. We’re going to be doing it until we run out of food.”
Less than an hour after starting the distribution, organizers had to stop letting cars in line due to the large turnout.
“Every little bit helps, and thank God for these people,” said recipient Larry Rosen.
Ortis said they will keep doing whatever they can to help for as long as the pandemic lasts.
“All the cities, that’s what we do — we take care of our residents,” he said.
Volunteers at the Pembroke Pines distribution said they helped feed just over 1,000 families on Thursday.
7SkyForce HD hovered above a long line of vehicles waiting outside another drive-thru food distribution at Miramar Regional Park.
At Feeding South Florida’s Pembroke Park ware house, the Broward County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association donated more than 400 boxes of food.
“After they’re doing everything they’re doing out in the community, they still have time to come out and donate the couple of pallets of meat so that we can make sure to put food on the table for those families who are struggling,” said Feeding South Florida president Paco Vélez.
The United Teachers of Dade announced a website that will be updated in real time for parents and students to find the closest school system food distribution center during the pandemic. For more information, click here.
For a full list of all food distribution sites across South Florida, click here.
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