Food Bank

A proposal aimed at helping what are known as “food recovery” programs, such as food banks, get discounted prices for fresh foods moved forward Monday in the Florida House, with lawmakers looking at a pilot program to help curb food insecurity in the state. The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously approved the bill (HB 1159).

Volunteers helped distribute solar-powered lights Saturday to several Southwest Florida neighborhoods hit hard by last year’s hurricane as part of the "Be The Light" initiative sponsored by Better Together.

Harry Chapin Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief organization in Southwest Florida, collected 51,042 pounds of food in Lee County during the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive May 13.

For many, Collier County elicits images of golf courses, beautiful beaches and affluent people. But for some residents, a different reality exists, as the population experiencing food insecurity continues to grow.The Federal Reserve Economic Data reports Collier’s annual median household income at an estimated $75,799 in 2021, the last reported year. Of the nearly 386,000 population, 10.4% were living in poverty.

The holidays are a busy time for food distributors, even as they face challenges brought about by the pandemic. One organization is trying to feed the hungry in Southwest Florida and beyond, even as COVID is keeping volunteers at home.

State health officials reported 6,658 new COVID-19 cases, Monday, for a total of 999,319 cases.The Florida Department of Health also reported 97 new coronavirus-related deaths, Nov. 30, increasing the statewide death toll to 18,834 fatalities since the start of the pandemic.The latest single-day positivity rate reported by the Florida Division of Emergency Management increased to 10.06% on Saturday.

Cuts by the Florida Department of Agriculture will eliminate a supplemental food program used by nearly 2,300 low income seniors in Lee, Collier and…

Just next door to one of Florida's richest counties is a place where hunger and poverty grow worse every year. In DeSoto County, the state’s…