Blessings in a Time of Need

Subhead

Giving spirit as strong as ever as group plans for weekly food giveaway

Image
  • A volunteer for Feeding Northeast Florida prepares food for one of the group’s Corner Market locations in Jacksonville, where they distribute free food to people in need.
    A volunteer for Feeding Northeast Florida prepares food for one of the group’s Corner Market locations in Jacksonville, where they distribute free food to people in need.
  • Feeding Northeast Florida, which donates food to Epic-Cure of Palatka, set up a Corner Market in Jacksonville, where free food is given to people in need.
    Feeding Northeast Florida, which donates food to Epic-Cure of Palatka, set up a Corner Market in Jacksonville, where free food is given to people in need.
  • Positively Putnam FL
    Positively Putnam FL
Body

Just because Florida moved into Phase 3 of its reopening plan does not mean pandemic assistance has stopped for Putnam County residents.

Epic-Cure of Palatka continues to host food giveaways every Friday at 389 U.S. 17 and this week will be no exception. The two-hour drive-thru event begins 2 p.m., and volunteer Ed Killebrew said the feedback from the community has been great. 

“People are very happy with the food they’ve been getting,” Killebrew said. “The people that get the food are very thankful. They tell us, ‘Thank you very much,’ and what a blessing we are to them.”

He said volunteers give between 25,000 and 39,000 pounds of food per week and Epic-Cure fed about 700 families last week. 

Dairy products, fresh produce and meat are typically given to each family who attends, and this week a truck full of nonperishable goods will be added to the pile. 

The food is donated from Feeding Northeast Florida and the organization helped develop Epic-Cure’s warehouse, said Susan King, Feeding Northeast Florida’s president and CEO. 

Feeding Northeast Florida also started the Corner Market last month to “provide healthy food to children and families across the nonprofit’s eight-county footprint.” King said locations, times and dates will be listed on the organization’s website. Although no Corner Market has been opened directly in Putnam County, the possibility is not off the table. 

“The pandemic has illuminated the grave disparities in health impacts from the virus. People in low-income neighborhoods with poor access to healthy food have been disproportionately affected,” King said in an email. “The Corner Market will provide not only healthy food options but will offer nutrition education, food sampling, referral information and much more.”

 

Copyright 2020 by Palatka Daily News - all rights reserved.