- A family of four in Florida is considered living in poverty if they earn $30,000 a year or less
- Neighborhood organizations say they are many families living outside of this bracket struggling to put food on the table
- Watch the video to find out where you can access neighborhood resources, extra links can be found in the article below
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A family of four in Florida is considered living in poverty if they earn $30,000 or less. However, there are many families who are outside of that bracket that are struggling to put meals on the table, said local agencies have been telling me.
Area organizations have provided some resources to help you and your family, and how one group is using education as a way to strengthen your fight against food insecurity.
Immediate relief from food insecurity first starts with tangible resources. You can find them at these two resources in Northwest Tallahassee.
"You're trying to make ends meet, you've seen an increase in several expenses that you have, and your salary has stayed the same," said Brittany Christie.
She said she has seen families struggle and knows the importance of having supportive organizations like the Salvation Army around.
"We're ready to provide the resources that you need to just get through," said Christie.
Those resources include things like food and clothing.
Once a month, families can also head to Good News Outreach. Their pantry is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 2pm.
Executive Director, Cheval Breggins, said it's important for them to be here.
"Food insecurity is above 50% and we're also in an area where there's food limited access to food," said Breggins.
On top of these resources, organizations are looking at long-lasting tools for people who are living paycheck to paycheck.
For Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Foundation, their focus is education.
"Connecting them with local resources, showing them how to eat right on a budget, showing them how to stretch that dollar farther," said Rebecca Conversi, community wellness dietitian at TMH.
She's part of the team helping to educate families through free seminars the Lake Jackson Branch library.
Mallory Adams, Community Resources Specialist at the library, said by educating people in their neighborhoods they are able to better help them take care of their families.
"Helping citizens complete application for SNAP or food stamps has always been a popular issue," said Adams.
This free pop up seminar called "How to Eat Healthy and Stay on Budget" is happening Thursday, October 26, at 5:30pm at the Lake Jackson Branch Library.
If you know of any additional resources that could help our neighbors or if you want to share your story with me, get in touch. Email: Maya.Sargent@wtxl.tv. Cell: 850-509-3271.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
More information from TMH on how to budget can be found here. They also recommend visiting this website for easy affordable recipes.
The library also offers support with SNAP and food assistance applications. You can contact Mallory Adams (AdamsMa@leoncountyfl.gov) to schedule an appointment and ask your questions.
