JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Many people in Helene's path are stocking up on their non perishable food stash.
Some going to pantries like LJD Jewish Family & Community Services, that may looked stocked now, but the volunteers know that will quickly change.
“After today's distribution, we will have bare shelves again,” said JFCS Food Programs and Volunteer Specialist, Donna O’Steen.
This isn’t the only time where they’ve seen an uptick with the number of people they serve.
In Jacksonville, O’Steen explains how one in five children and one in eight adults struggle with food insecurity, and it’s a statistic she predicts will increase even more.
“Last year, we reported 19,000 people struggling with it. This fiscal year, we reported over 32,000. So the numbers are there and food insecurity is a huge problem,” she mentioned.
Talking with people while they wait in line, they say inflation makes it hard to feed themselves and their families, let alone keeping their hurricane emergency survival kit stocked at all times.
“It very much increases their anxiety and rightfully so because they don't know what's gonna happen. It could be a bad hurricane, it could leave them without power, it could leave them without resources for an extended amount of time. So they wanna be prepared and if coming to the food pantry prepares them, then so be it,” explained O'Steen.
The demographic of people coming to their doors hungry has become more diverse since the food program started.
“We see homeless people. We see working people. It's mostly working people. It's people just like you and me. It's your neighbor, it's your friends, it's people, it's normal people,” O’Steen told First Coast News. “It's everyday people coming in that need food that just need help, that can't make ends meet.”
For the pantry to meet the now nearly doubled demand of food from last year to this year, it will move into a new room post renovations.
“It will double the size of our actual pantry. We're gonna have a walk in freezer. Right now, we only have one refrigerator. That's gonna turn into five,” she said.
From now to the end of the month, LJD Jewish Family & Community Services in Jacksonville are partnering with the Block Family Foundation for the Max Block Food Pantry Challenge. They are doubling every monetary donation for their food pantry challenge to help people in need keep their own pantry shelves stocked.
To make an impact with families in Jacksonville who are looking for food and security, you can donate here.
