Miami — Before sunrise on a recent May day, workers at the Miami-area food bank Feeding South Florida move, load and stack pallets of food and household goods onto trucks.
With the help of volunteers, this flurry of activity has allowed the organization to distribute food to 1.2 million people throughout four Florida counties.
The food goes to people like Rosalyn Budgett, who lives on a fixed income and comes to Feeding South Florida every two months.
“I’m able to get a balanced meal on a daily basis,” Budgett told CBS News.
She says that without the food bank, “I’d probably starve.”
But the aid she relies on has been reduced. In March, the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency cut funding for about $1 billion worth of U.S. Department of Agriculture programs. The two federal programs that were cut allowed schools and food banks to purchase food directly from local farmers and producers.
“We’ve been seeing empty racks since February,” Paco Velez, CEO of Feeding South Florida, told CBS News. “These cuts have really made an impact, not just on our ability to serve, but on the families’ ability to thrive in South Florida and across the country.”
For Feeding South Florida, the cuts amount to 40% of its $37 million annual budget.
“It’s an unfortunate situation, because we see that our families are desperate,” Velez said. “They’re coming in more frequently than they ever have. And we’re trying to maintain as much food as we can. But there is a little desperation.”
The line of cars for weekly food distribution at Ebenezer Church in South Miami has only gotten longer over the years.
Pastor Roberto Blanco, who gets part of the supply from Feeding South Florida’s warehouse, is working with less.
The situation is affecting farmers too. East Coast Farm and Vegetables near Parkland, Florida, partnered with Feeding South Florida to use federal dollars to pick and pack surplus produce destined for families in need.
“This program…is a great use of our tax dollars,” said Katelyn Garcia, vice president of East Coast Farm and Vegetables. “We are not only helping our farmers…here in the States, but you’re also feeding families.”
Without the funds to process the produce, farmers are hoping crops won’t go to waste.
Says Garcia: “We know that the end goal is to feed people and we need to work towards that goal.”
Aimee Picchi
contributed to this report.
