This southern metropolitan area has become the epicenter of coronavirus and food insecurity.


MIAMI – Gianna Class, who lost her job at a retail store, says the $ 300 she receives in government food assistance each month is not enough for her family of four, which includes her elderly mother and two grandchildren, ages 5 and up. 14 years, whom he has been raising after the death of his daughter. Food bank brochures have become her lifesavers.

“The situation is scary. Very scary, ”Clase said about his economic outlook when the coronavirus pandemic breaks out in the region.

As South Florida faces being described as the new epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also among the worst in the nation when it comes to its residents experiencing food insecurity and scarcity, according to data from the Census Office. More than 14 percent of South Florida residents, about 1 in 7 households, reported that sometimes, or frequently, they did not have enough to eat in the past seven days. Last week it ranked first in food insecurity; this week it is only surpassed by the Houston metropolitan area

Feeding South Florida, one of several food banks that distributed food in the metropolitan area made up of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, went from serving 706,000 people before the pandemic to serving 1.3 million now .

Feeding South Florida distributed 62 million pounds of food last fiscal year, which ran from July 1 to June 30. During this fiscal year that just ended in June, they distributed almost double that amount: £ 118m.

They currently distribute around 4 million pounds of food a week, and they are expected to worsen.

“In the past two weeks we have seen a slight increase in people in need of support and we anticipate that the trend will continue,” said Sari Vatske, executive vice president of Feeding South Florida.

Many of those in need of assistance are in the hospitality and tourism businesses as well as retail, according to surveys by Feeding South Florida conducted with its network of 300 partner agencies.

Before the pandemic, about 30 percent of the people served by the food bank were Latino, like Clase, and about 60 percent were black. Now, “we have seen an increase in the diversity of people who need our support,” said Vatske.

“Broken and defeated” is the new normal

Something that has hit Vatske is “the fatigue of the unknown that people face.” He said in March and April that it was panic and fear of not knowing how long the pandemic and food insecurity would last. While that still exists, he said there is a different type of fatigue. “The people who come seem broken and defeated. This has become the new normal for them, they come to trust the weekly food distribution.”

Miami-Dade County is being hardest hit by COVID-19 cases. With an increasing number of cases and hospitals reporting that the number of coronavirus patients exceeds the capacity of intensive care units, there is now pressure for counties to close again. This would translate into more layoffs and licenses as companies close, increasing the demand for food donations.

Elorge Piard, center, and Keyshawn Dorelien, left, hand out bags of children’s food in North Miami, Florida on July 1, 2020.Wilfredo Lee / AP

In addition to the large food banks, Broward and Miami-Dade County Public Schools have been providing families with multiple meals at one time for a week. Smaller groups, restaurants, and churches have also been distributing food.

Nina Fabian, pastor of the Life Changers Worship Center International in the Latin suburb of Hialeah in Miami-Dade County, has been running a summer camp and providing hot food for any children and teens under 18 who show up. She also distributes boxes twice a week.

“People have to go to different places to get enough food,” he said.

You are seeing many unemployed mothers coming. In some cases, both parents have lost their jobs. “It is a difficult time. Everyone is stressed right now, ”he said.

Any food left, usually milk and cereal, goes to the last families to line up.

“They are not telling you a story. You see it in their faces, “said Fabian.” I’ve never seen an adult man collapse and say he doesn’t know what he’s going to do. “

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