Pilot Mega Distribution to Serve 5,000 Families; Event Replaces Thursday Boynton Beach Distribution This Week Only

Based ondata indicating where the highest volume of additional requests for support is due to COVID-19, Feeding South Florida® is holding a South County mega food distribution on Saturday, May 9, 9–11 a.m. The event ? taking place at the Boynton Beach Mall/Christ Fellowship Church parking lot at 801 N. Congress Avenue, Boynton Beach 33426 ? will serve 5,000 families and replace the location’s Thursday distribution this week only.

Feeding South Florida, the leading domestic hunger-relief organization in South Florida,has seen a 600% increase in demand since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It is working diligently to respond to the quickly evolving and increased food needs of those who are food insecure in Palm Beach County.

The mega food distribution aims to provide additional support for those in Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, Greenacres, and Lantana. This is a pilot food distribution, and if successful, will be replicated by Feeding South Florida throughout the tri-county area as part of its efforts to continue increasing food access.

Feeding South Florida will distribute fresh produce, protein, dairy and shelf-stable items on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. Eight trucks’ worth of food will be distributed at this event.

The food distribution is made possible with the Herculean support of the City of Boynton Beach, The Boynton Beach Police Department, Boynton Beach Recreation & Parks Department, Boynton Beach Mall and Christ Fellowship Church.

“In response to increased need, and based on an analysis of where we’re seeing the highest volume of additional requests for support, Feeding South Florida is creating this mega distribution to provide a weekend opportunity for families to access the critical food necessary to make it through the week,” said Sari Vatske, executive vice president of Feeding South Florida.

“This is an exemplary example of local partners coming together to assist our community during COVID-19. The need is great and we are very appreciative to Feeding South Florida and Christ Fellowship Church, both based in Boynton Beach, for their continued support over the past 7 weeks,” said Lori LaVerriere, city manager of Boynton Beach.

Feeding South Florida’s Palm Beach County weekly food distributions are:

• City of West Palm Beach – Mondays, 9–11 a.m.
• City of Lake Worth –Tuesdays, 9–11 a.m.
• Town of Wellington – Tuesdays, 9–11 a.m.
• City of Palm Beach Gardens – Tuesdays, 9–11 a.m.
• City of Delray Beach – Wednesdays, 9–11 a.m.
• Village of Royal Palm –Wednesdays, 9–11 a.m.
• City of Boynton Beach – Christ Fellowship Church – Thursdays, 9–11 a.m. (Moved this week only to Saturday, May 9)
• City of Rivera Beach – Fridays, 9–11 a.m.
• City of Greenacres – Fridays, 9–11 a.m.
• Town of Jupiter –Fridays, 9–11 a.m.

In Palm Beach County alone, there are over 180,000 food insecure individuals who are struggling to put food on the table. Since March 9 in Palm Beach County, Feeding South Florida has distributed over 6.7 million pounds of food. This includes:

• Over 3,827,329 pounds to Feeding South Florida partner agencies
• Over 2,957,637 pounds through Feeding South Florida drive-thru events, including 59,626 meal boxes in support of the Palm Beach County School District’s grab n’ go meal efforts.

The organization has distributed over 21 million pounds of food (17.5 million meals) in the four counties it serves (Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties) in seven weeks ? a pace that translates to about 156 million pounds (130 million meals) over a 12-month period. To put that in perspective, for the entire last fiscal year, Feeding South Florida distributed 62 million pounds (51.6 million meals).

Feeding South Florida’s food distributions are updated daily and available at https://feedingsouthflorida.org/covid19/.

To find out how you can help, learn about what Feeding South Florida is doing, safety precautions, and much more, visit https://feedingsouthflorida.org/covid19/.

About Feeding South Florida®

Feeding South Florida is a member of the Feeding America network of food banks and the leading domestic hunger-relief organization serving Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties. Providing support for 25 percent of the state’s food insecure population, its mission is to end hunger in South Florida by providing immediate access to nutritious food, leading hunger and poverty advocacy efforts, and transforming lives through innovative programming and education. Feeding South Florida distributed nearly 62 million pounds (51.6 million meals) of food last year, to over 700,000 individuals through direct-service programs and a local network of approximately 300 nonprofit partner agencies. Visit www.feedingsouthflorida.org or call 954.518.1818.