- The Plant has a free food box supplied by Little Sunshine Pantries that are open for all to donate and grab food anytime.
- The Plant is a DIY community art center run by volunteers, open from 6-9 p.m. Mon.-Wed. and 2-5 p.m. on weekends.
- Watch the video to see how great the need is in the area.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Thousands of people in Tallahassee are food insecure. Fighting that can start by just opening this box. I'm Alberto Camargo in Collegetown, here on Gaines St., where The Plant is hard to miss. But I was drawn to this box. So I stopped by to ask about it. Inside I met Billy Blair, a volunteer at The Plant since 2015.
Billy is an artist that's helped with several projects over the years.
Billy is also homeless. He's one of 800 people in Tallahassee experience homelessness, according to the Big Bend Continuum of Care. Billy says dealing with food insecurity never gets easy.
"When you don't have any money, and you don't have any food stamps left and you're not sure where your next meal is going to be, it can be tremendously difficult."
Free food boxes like these are just one option for people like Billy. While walking through my neighborhood yesterday, this box was full. Now all that's left is this can of peas. Assistant manager Alina Amador says an empty box... isn't exactly bad news.
"It is a good problem to have. That's what I remind myself a lot."
The food inside the box is provided by community donations from organizations like Lemondrop, the Alpha Phi Omega chapter at FAMU, and employees at the nearby Publix and Starbucks stores. You may find more of these boxes around the neighborhood, they're supplied by Little Sunshine Pantries--a local community organization who is also working to end food insecurity in Tallahassee.
In case you don't know about The Plant, it's a 100% volunteer-run DIY community art center. On top of food, they provide clothes, books, and art supplies... all for free.
"It's just a space where you can come in, be yourself, do what you want and not feel obliged to pay anything."
All the supplies provided are while they last, especially the food in these boxes. The Plant is open Monday through Wednesdays from 6 to 9 pm and on weekends from 2 to 5. In Collegetown, I'm Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
