The Salvation Army of Broward County is asking the community to help refill supplies for families who face food insecurity, after abrupt changes were announced in government programs.
The Salvation Army of Broward County is asking the community to help refill supplies for families who face food insecurity, after abrupt changes were announced in government programs.
Staff members took NBC 6 on a tour of the center located in Fort Lauderdale, where several shelves remained empty. According to staff, shelves have been vacant for about a month.
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WATCH HERE“On a monthly basis, we are serving at least a thousand households,” said David Hayton, Director of Development at the Salvation Army of Broward County.
Every Thursday, hundreds of families drive-by to collect their non-perishable food items. For many, it’s the only source they rely on to get a meal.
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The Salvation Army of Broward County has been in existence for nearly a hundred years. For decades, they’ve distributed food for free to families who need it most.
In recent weeks, however, they’ve been left empty handed.
“None of us saw this coming this quickly, this abruptly, this significantly," expressed Hayton.
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About a month ago, they received an email stating that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had canceled several truckloads of food, which meant a reduction of the number of deliveries from Farm Share, Florida’s largest independent food bank.
“We're being promised two shipments per month, whereas formerly, we would receive every single week,” Hayton said.
Hayton said that in April, they only received one shipment, and that this past week they had to pay about $13,000 out of pocket to keep up with the demand.
"This program has been around a long time and it's been around because of your donations," Hayton said. "So, we do not take this for granted, we thank the community and we trust we have high confidence that the community is going to step up.”
For those who wish to donate, click here for more information.
