- Taylor County neighbors are still feeling the impacts from several hurricanes and mill closures.
- Two mills in Perry served as major employers for neighbors in Taylor County before they were shut down.
- Watch the video to see how a food distribution is helping ease the financial stress for neighbors there.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Several hurricanes and mill closures in Taylor County have left a big impact on the livelihood of neighbors here. I'm Kenya Cardonne at the West Fraser Perry Mill, where Second Harvest of the Big Bend is feeding hundreds of neighbors— something the people of Perry say the town is in need of as they juggle income dips and damage costs.
The Georgia-Pacific Mill and the West Fraser Mill— now just memories in Taylor County.
Elizabeth Finecy, Neighbor - "We miss the smell of money. As my dad would say, 'it smells like money,' and it's not there anymore. Sometimes I just forget that it's there because it's been there my whole life."
For neighbors like Elizabeth Finecy, watching hundreds in her town lose their jobs due to the mill closures— doesn't quite make for a good memory.
Finecy - "So you kind of want to block it out, you know, because you feel sorry for people that's lost their livelihood in any way."
Businesses I spoke with in Perry say without a steady income, many neighbors found themselves shopping less.. or just plain leaving.
"It's really took its toll on everybody."
Add the natural disasters that continue to hit Taylor County time and time again..
"There's still a lot of damage and a lot of families still don't have homes."
Working to help neighbors make ends meet, Second Harvest of the Big Bend turned the former West Fraser Mill into a distribution site to feed at least 750 families.
"It's a blessing. We've really had some hard times and this, we need it."
A kind of support many neighbors say makes them feel a bit better about the months of recovery still ahead of them.
"We're hanging in there. We're Taylor strong."
There are four more Hurricane Helene Holiday Food Distributions to happen in the Big Bend:
- Suwannee County on December 12th, from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
1302 11th Street SW Live Oak, FL 32064 - Madison County on December 17th, from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
152 SW Onslow St Greenville, FL - Jefferson County on December 18th, from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Jefferson County Public Library
375 S Water St Monticello, FL - Leon County on December 21st, from 7 a.m. until food is gone.
Governors Square Mall
1500 Apalachee Pkwy Tallahassee, FL
