To provide key resources to the community, the Junior League of Tallahassee is opening a new help shelf on Stuckey Avenue. It is just one of the many things being done to eradicate food insecurity in Leon County.
A great amount of work is being done to guarantee that neighborhoods across the county have access to food. Inflation has drastically increased the difficulty for families to adequately feed their children.
“A lot of families are on fixed incomes, and it’s hard to make that dollar stretch sometimes,” James Quillen told WTXL-TV.
Quillen is a member of the Family Promise of the Big Bend Home Front, a community for veterans.
According to Feeding America, just over 30,000 people are food insecure in Leon County. The county’s food insecurity rate is at 12%, with the average meal costing $3.68 and the annual food budget shortfall being at $20,675,000. Examples of such barriers include a lack of walkable grocery stores, insufficient transportation options, prohibitive food costs and/or limited fresh food or produce inventory at nearby stores
Kelly Vinson, a local resident and former elementary teacher, wants to help food insecure students and families have what they need for Thanksgiving. At the beginning of last school year, she started her annual initiative, “Blessing Baskets.”
With the help of neighbors, Vinson puts together bins filled with various canned goods and non-perishable Thanksgiving meal items.
Since last year, Vinson has expanded her giving from three schools to six.
Vinson’s goal is to give 100 baskets to elementary school students, to combat the food insecurity stigma at a young age.
“As a schoolteacher, I know there are stereotypes and kids start as they get older to feel uncomfortable that they’re living in food insecurity,” Vinson told WTLX. “By starting at the elementary level and letting those guidance counselors find the need, it helps.”
Baskets can be dropped off for Keller Williams at 1520 Killearn Center Blvd. on Nov. 18-19.
“In Tallahassee, we are so fortunate to live in a community where our residents are constantly wanting to get involved in our school system,” Leon County Schools Volunteer Coordinator Kelli Walker told WTLX.
Second Harvest of the Big Bend, a Tallahassee-based organization, provides healthy food for individuals and families facing food insecurity throughout the eight-county Big Bend service area.
The Big Bend contains half of the top 10 food insecure counties in Florida.
As the region’s main source for charitable food, Second Harvest has facilities that store and distribute food for more 149 smaller front-line agency partners, which include emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, children’s homes, homes for the mentally disabled and domestic violence shelters.
Their mission is the advancement of change through feeding the hungry, while educating and engaging the community.
According to Second Harvest, just over half of the county lives paycheck-to-paycheck at just above the federal poverty level, barely being able to afford basic necessities.
In 2023, Second Harvest delivered approximately 17.5 million pounds of nutritious food free of charge to people in need.