NORTHWEST TALLAHASSEE, FL — Families across the Big Bend are facing sudden hardships after loved ones were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In response, the community is stepping in to help families in need, providing food, financial assistance, and emotional support as they navigate an uncertain future.
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Food, diapers, and detergent, the basics are now quietly delivered to families too afraid to leave their homes.
"Their breadwinner is not with them, there are several groups that are working to make sure that they get food in their homes and that they have assistance when they need to travel to a doctor's appointment," Karen Woodall, Florida People's Advocacy Center Executive Director, said.
The Florida People's Advocacy Center says 40 to 50 families in Tallahassee alone have been directly affected, leaving spouses and children struggling to cover rent, groceries, and other daily necessities.
For some parents, even going to work, attending school events, or walking into a grocery store feels like a risk.
Amanda Macedo says this was the exact situation her family was in for 172 days when her husband was detained, and they lost their breadwinner.
"Unfortunately, I lost our home, so we had to move into something that we could afford, because at the time, we didn't know what was going to happen. Like I said, I really have the community and a lot of support," Macedo said.
She says she's grateful that neighbors and volunteers continue to support families now in the same position she was once in, trying to survive while living in fear.
With many families now relying almost entirely on community support, local volunteers and faith groups, including the Human Rights Committee Environmental Caucus, have stepped in organizing food drives and supply distributions to meet the most urgent needs.
Advocates say most affected families have children, and food remains the greatest concern.
"Most of them are Hispanic families. So you know, rice, beans, tortillas. They have children. They need diapers. They need toiletries, everything a family needs," Woodall said.
Woodall says seeing the impact ICE enforcement has had on neighbors in our community is the main reason they continue to show up at the Capitol demanding just and moral policies.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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