TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Feeding the community takes a lot of work.
Over a dozen of Second Harvest's workers helped feed around 700 families at Governors Square Mall Saturday morning.
"I'm just really grateful that those families have somewhere to turn, that they can trust Second Harvest and they know that they can come here for additional help during the holiday," said CEO of Second Harvest Monique VanPelt.
VanPelt said with their Winter Holiday Food Distribution, they wanted to address food insecurity, especially during another holiday season with COVID-19 still around.
"So we know that some of the impacts of COVID-19 have included employment, but what we're really seeing right now is the cost of food having jumped so much. So last year, a dollar stretched so far to make sure that there was food still on the table during the holidays, this year that same dollar still may not be stretching as far for families," said VanPelt.
Also meeting the need this holiday season, Ms. Dee's Kitchen in Frenchtown.
"As a business owner, to step up to the community to help, not to be in business to make money, but to be in business to help others as well," said owner Deborah Holton.
Holton provided over 500 free meals to the Frenchtown community Saturday afternoon, a long with a free clothing giveaway.
Mildred Bryant, who came to Ms. Dee's with her family, said that the kindness of Ms. Dee's kitchen in their second year of providing free meals around Christmas time isn't going unnoticed.
"It's important because it brings socialization back together, it brings people back together, it brings homes and families back together, it brings love back to the community, it shows that people are still kind, people are still giving, people are still loving and that's what we need in our community in order to build this community up."
