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Gwen Stefani

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Feeding South Florida Support South Florida's Hunger-Relief Food Bank Words by Markin Abras • Image by Onlyyouqj / Freepik DID YOU KNOW that South Florida alone has almost 1 million individuals who struggle with hunger, including nearly 250,000 children and 130,000 seniors? For this heartbreaking reason, we showcase Feeding South Florida, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support for those facing hunger. Feeding South Florida offers a range of programs including Food to Encourage (F2E), which provides fruits and vegetables, low-fat protein, whole grains and low-fat and non-dairy foods for those in need. Its goal is to increase its distribution of fresh produce to 1 billion pounds annually. In South Florida alone, nearly 300M pounds of produce goes to waste every year, which means working with local food banks such as the Florida Association of Food Banks, plays a vital role. One of its key objectives is to reduce food waste by rescuing fresh foods and provide them to those who need it. According to Sari M. Vatske, Executive Vice President of Feeding South Florida, the challenges of feeding the hungry in South Florida relates to awareness of the problem in the first place. "Living in an area that's fortunate to have so much wealth and beauty, the issue of hunger is often overlooked, especially because it's invisible. There are reports of an improving economy and low unemployment rates but the cost of living outpaces most low-wage paying jobs. In South Florida alone, 1 in 8 individuals don't know from where their next meal is coming – more than 240,000 are kids," states Vatske. We can make a difference. "There are many ways for everyone to get involved. From donating, to hosting a food drive, or volunteering, everyone can be part of the solution. We have a Youth Ambassador program for kids age 5+, ten volunteer shifts per week that can host up to 100 individuals, and for every $1 donated to us, we can provide 6 meals!" explains Vatske. ML To get started, visit: https://feedingsouthflorida.org.

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