Food banks across the region saw a surge in demand during the government shutdown.
While federal paychecks, food assistance and other benefits are on track to resume, many people have already made tough choices to get by since Oct. 1.
“They may have taken on debt vehicles, they may have let bills lapse — all in order to feed themselves and try to survive," Feeding Tampa Bay CEO Thomas Mantz said. "It will take quite a while for those folks to rebalance their household.”
This could drive sustained demand for weeks to come as families recover from the 43-day shutdown, according to leaders of regional food banks.
“We expect to need to continue to supply resources for the next three months at least,” Mantz said.
Meeting demand while navigating shortages
Regional food banks are developing strategies to acquire and distribute more food while trying to avoid shortages.
In October, tens of thousands of federal workers in the Tampa metro area were out of work and turned to local food banks and pantries for support.
ALSO READ: Tampa Bay area charities rally to help federal workers during shutdown
Mantz said keeping enough food on hand is a challenge without the extra draw on resources.
“There never is enough food. Period," he said. "We’re not meeting [the] need to begin with. We’re doing as much as we can with the resources that we have. And so, when you have a situation like we’re in now, it becomes an acute shortage.”
Feeding Tampa Bay acts as a large broker for the region, distributing food to around 400 partner charities and pantries across 10 counties.
All Faiths Food Bank operates a similar model, distributing food to around 300 local partners in Sarasota and DeSoto counties.
CEO Nelle Miller said that while there is not a widespread shortage, they have had instances where they ran out of food at their consumer distribution sites.
“We’ve been turning cars away. We’ve run out of food at distributions,” she said. “It’s been unpredictable. Sometimes, it’s 30 cars. Sometimes, it’s 50 cars, and that’s a lot for here.”
The food bank recently purchased truckloads of pre-assembled dry goods to avoid shortages moving forward, even if “we are not able to give them produce and proteins at every distribution,” she said.
On Thursday, All Faiths Food Bank received a $100,000 donation from Hugh Culverhouse Jr. to support families recovering after the shutdown.
Other food banks have received large gifts, too. Last week, United Way Suncoast distributed $350,000 to 24 area food banks to support increased operations.
READ MORE: Tampa Bay nonprofits prop up groups offering assistance during the government shutdown
Some food banks, like Feeding Tampa Bay, have had to dip into reserves, too.
Jennifer Yeagley, the CEO for the St. Pete Free Clinic, said they also have reserves that they haven’t dipped into yet.
She said, for now, they are meeting demand.
“I believe we have — or should have — resources in this community to be able to step up [and] meet a short-term need. I don’t know that we can … meet the full need for an extended period of time,” Yeagley said.
New customers contribute to high demand
In October, Yeagley said the St. Pete Free Clinic distributed 400,000 more pounds of food compared to September.
Part of the reason for the jump in demand is new customers, she said.
St. Pete Free Clinic reports that over 8,000 residents used their distribution site for the first time in the last three months, accounting for around 55 percent of individuals served.
Yeagley said they experienced a similar jump during the COVID pandemic, and those numbers never corrected.
“Our numbers more than tripled, and we began serving, on average, 20,000 visitors per month … and that just became our new normal,” she said.
Yeagley wonders if the same trend, on a smaller scale, could happen in the aftermath of this historic government shutdown.
Mantz said the team at Feeding Tampa Bay has learned similar lessons.
“We know from past experience with pandemics and with hurricanes, for every day that a household is without resources, it’s a week of recovery,” he said.
Miller, at All Faiths Food Bank, is bracing for sustained demand as well despite federal food assistance resuming.
“People have eaten everything out of their cupboard, so they’re going to be replacing food,” she said. “A lot of people have found food banks that didn't go to them before and and SNAP doesn't fully cover the food bill for a family and barely covers it for an individual. So there's always a gap.”
Resources:
- St. Pete Free Clinic Fresh Pantry offers free groceries to any Pinellas County residents with indoor and drive-thru options. Find available food pantries at thespfc.org/map/.
- Feeding Tampa Bay has several “emergency response” food pantry distribution events on Monday, Nov. 17. Find various locations at feedingtampabay.org.
- All Faiths Food Bank has extended hours at some resource centers. Find upcoming distribution schedules for Sarasota, Laurel/Nokomis, Venice, North Port, Englewood and Arcadia at allfaithsfoodbank.org/foodfinder/.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
