Fast Feet for Hunger

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL -- The face of those who are hungry is changing. As the recession continues and more people lose their jobs, many have to face tough decisions. Do they spend their money on food or medication? Do they pay bills or buy food?

Thomas Mantz, the Executive Director of the Second Harvest Food Bank, told First Coast News his agency is seeing an increase of 30 to 50 percent in requests from agencies needing food.

The Second Harvest Food Bank serves 18 counties. Employees and volunteers distribute food to 530 partner agencies. Last year, shelves at the warehouse were bare. Canned goods are on the shelves now and that's good. "The good news is we are getting a lot of food. But the bad news is we need a lot more," Mantz said.

The statistics are alarming. Mantz says one in eight people in our community is hungry. One in six children is hungry. "Look at ten people around you and two of them are hungry."

Mantz told us it is no longer just the homeless in need of food. "The face of hunger is changing. It's more working families," he says. Interestingly enough, Mantz says people who gave food last year are now the ones in need of food.

Agencies like the Salvation Army in St. Augustine benefit from the Second Harvest Food Bank. Larry Dillahay, the Food Bank Manager with the Salvation Army in St. Augustine, serves residents in St. Johns, Flagler and Putnam Counties.

He distributes food to 43 non-profit agencies. According to Dillahay, those agencies serve 40,000 to 45,000 people a month. Half are in St. Johns County. Dillahay told us that's an increase in the last six months of 40 percent. "I estimate the need is double that. We are on target to distribute over a million pounds this year."

Dillahay believes there are a couple of reasons we are seeing more people in need of food. He says the biggest group his agency serves is the working poor. "You have a household that had two people working, now only has one."

Another reason for the increase he believes is more people are in poverty. "People who just a few months ago were above the poverty line have now slipped below it."

First Coast News is trying to help the hungry. There's a Be A Hero Food Drive Friday and Saturday. We kicked it off Thursday morning with a "Fast Feet for Hunger" event at the Food Lion store on U.S. 1 in St. Augustine.

First Coast News Angela Spears and Eden Kendall, from 99.9 Gator Country, took part in the race. It was a friendly competition to see who could fill baskets with the most non-perishable food items in two minutes. The two ladies raced down the aisles, dropping cans along the way, and put as much as they could in their baskets.

Angela ended up with the most food! But the real winner was the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Angela and Eden collected 410 pounds of food. The retail value was $717.62. According to Dillahay this will provide 325 meals for families.

All of the food will stay in the area. Dillahay told us today is one of the regular shopping days for the Salvation Army's agencies. He thinks all of the food collected during the "Fast Feet for Hunger" drive Thursday will probably be out in the community by the end of the day.

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