Most of the food giveaways during the pandemic have been funded directly or subsidized by federal government funds. Tuesday morning, the city of North Miami councilwoman Mary Estime-Irvin and Farm Share coordinated a food distribution for residents affected financially by the pandemic.
“The scarcity of food is real. And so we have made sure as a city of North Miami along with my colleagues that we have been able to provide food, says Estime-Irvin.
After President Trump signed the COVID relief bill Sunday night, community leaders who had warned they were on the brink of running out of money for this cause say they are eager to find out how much support they will actually get from the bill.
“This food assistance helps us a lot because the little money that comes in can be used for rent and other things,” says resident Karen Tovar.
“Some of it is earmarked for community help and for food distribution and so right now we want to go ahead and see the details of what was given the states and to the counties for aid, but at the same time we still want to stress that 2021 is looking very grim," said Farm Share's marketing director Gil Zepeda.
Through the COVID Relief Bill, many South Florida residents would be eligible for $600 stimulus checks and unemployment benefits to help counter the crisis.
Marty Louis, a North Miami resident who picked up food with her mother at the site near Arch Creek Elementary School, says the money is better than nothing - but isn’t enough.
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“I feel like we’re about to hit a second wave so I feel like I don’t know what they thought $600 will do for us," says Louis.
To donate to Farm Share, you can click here. The city of North Miami sponsors a food pantry, which you can visit by clicking on this link.
