Miami -Bef of sunrise on the last day of May, workers in the Miami area Food shore Travel feeding from the south of Florida, Load and Pyy Pallets of food and domestic items to the trucks.
With the help of volunteers, this large number of activities has allowed the organization to distribute food to 1.2 million people in four counties in Florida.
The food is aimed at people like Rosalyn Budgett, who lives with fixed income and feeds south of Florida every two months.
“I can get a balanced meal daily,” he told CBS News.
She says that without the Food Bank, “I would probably be starving.”
But the help on which it is based has been reduced. In March, the White House Government Efficiency Department reduce funding for about a billion dollars worth programs of the United States Department of Agriculture. The two federal programs that were cut off allowed schools and benches to buy food directly from local farmers and producers.
“We have been seeing empty racks since February,” said Paco Velez, general director of Feeding South Florida, in CBS News. “These cuts have had an impact, not only on our ability to serve, but also on the ability of families to prosper in southern Florida and all over the country.”
To feed South Florida, the cuts amounted to 40% of their annual budget of $ 37 million.
“It’s a pitiful situation, because we see our families desperate,” said Velez. “They come more often than ever. And we try to keep as much food as possible. But there is a bit of despair.”
The car line for weekly food distribution at the Ebenezer Church in South Miami It has only been more time Over the years.
The shepherd Roberto Blanco, who achieves part of the supply of feeding the warehouse in southern Florida, works with less.
The situation also affects farmers. East Coast Farm and Vegetables near Parkland, Florida, was associated with South Florida’s feeding to use federal dollars to collect and pack out surplus products for families who need it.
“This program … is a great use of our tax dollars,” said Katelyn Garcia, Vice President of East Coast Farm and Vegetables. “We not only help our farmers … here in the United States, but also feed families.”
Without the funds for processing products, farmers hope that crops will not be lost.
Garcia says: “We know that the ultimate goal is to feed people and we have to work to achieve this.”
contributed to this report.