JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Funds and food are drying up at local non-profits that serve to feed families.
The director of one Jacksonville non-profit says the impact is being felt across the city. "Places that were giving out two times a week are now, because of a lack of materials, funds and food, are only giving out once a month," said Jose Bosque.
Bosque runs Global Capital Relief, an agency that has been feeding Duval County for more than 30 years.
He says more than 400 families come knocking each month, an increase from about 125 families before the pandemic.
"We feed more working poor than we feed unemployed poor," he told First Coast News.
He says inflation is a becoming more of a problem. Those working families are trying to make ends meet, but they're facing a financial dilemma: pay to keep the lights on or pay to keep food on the table.
Bosque says donations, of any kind, aren't what they used to be. "We can't afford to buy because we have less people donating," he explained.
That means he's relying on more grocery stores and other businesses to provide leftovers, but that is not a guarantee. Generosity, whether it's your time or money, is his greatest need.
"It's important for a needy person to know where he needs to drive to get some help. It's not that help isn't there. But it's just that it's not like it was two years ago," he said.