More hungry families in Jacksonville will get the food they need thanks to Feeding Northeast Florida and a $30,000 grant from United Healthcare.
Feeding Northeast Florida CEO Frank Castillo said at least one out of every five people in Jacksonville is food insecure, meaning they don’t always know where they’ll get their next meal.
The United Healthcare grant, Castillo said, will be used to operate more mobile pantries in neighborhoods with few healthy food options.
“When you look at a mobile pantry, it is typically made up of fresh produce, typically fruit, fresh vegetables, protein and, you know, canned foods, rice, bread and some of the essentials—toiletries, toilet paper, feminine hygiene products.”
According to Castillo, no one is ever turned away.
“If someone feels the need to come to a line in which they know that food is being distributed, all we ask is for the person to give us their name and the part of town they’re in. But other than that we ask for nothing else.”
Feeding Northeast Florida was one of five hunger organizations statewide that United Healthcare chose to receive $30,000 dollar grants.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
