SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — Nearly 1 in 7 Floridians struggles to get enough nutritious food — and a local partnership in South Tallahassee is working to change that, one monthly pantry at a time.
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Sunshine Health and Farm Share have been working together since 2022. On Thursday, they showcased a newly co-branded truck at Sunshine Health's Tallahassee Community Connections Center, which hosts a food pantry on the third Thursday of every month.
At the pantry, Sunshine Health distributes both shelf-stable and fresh food to neighbors. The support goes beyond groceries: Bond Community Health Center provides rapid HIV testing, blood pressure checks, glucose and A1C testing, and primary care visits. The Sickle Cell Foundation is also on site providing sickle cell testing.
"We know that people when they're hungry they have other health issues. We want them to know that they can get help. We have partnered with Farm Share to ensure that we are in the community for them," Menetta Gardner of Sunshine Health said.
September is Hunger Action Month. Florida Department of Health data shows 14.4% of Floridians experienced food insecurity in 2023 — nearly 1 in 7 people.
Neighbor Lorraine Brinson said the event helps make sure people in her neighborhood have access to food and other basic health resources.
"Look at the peoples up here giving out food. You don't think this a blessing? Yes it is," Brinson said.
Brinson said the availability of food banks across Leon County means no one should go without.
"These food banks is a blessing to everybody. I feel like there's no reason for nobody in Leon County to go hungry. Because every day it's a food bank somewhere giving away food. So, when you find someone who's saying 'oh I'm hungry' all they got to do is get up find out where the food bank is being given out and go get food. I do it every day," Brinson said.
Since the partnership started, Sunshine Health says its Community Connections Centers across Florida have served more than 100,000 people in households and distributed more than 150 tons of food.
The Tallahassee food pantry is part of Sunshine Health's network of 11 Community Connections Centers across Florida. The pantry is held on the third Thursday of each month.
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