Tallahassee organizations fight food insecurity through community help

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Piper Fsfessler and Scout Toop 118 G spent their morning packing boxes. For Good Shepherd Catholic Churches annual Stuff the Truck food drive.

“We’re packing boxes so that we can give them to people that really need them,” said Fsfessler.

With donations too big to count, those at Good Shepherd have continued to fill up a 15-foot moving van full of food and other household essentials for Good News Outreach in Tallahassee.

“There are a lot of people out there who are in need of food that they can’t get for themselves and this is a great way for them to get the things that they need,” said Riley Young of Scout Troop 118 G.

Good News Outreach will use the donations at their food pantry, helping families facing food insecurity.

That issue, a problem for over 68,000 people in Leon County, with 1 in 3 kids, according to feeding America, not knowing where their next meal will come from.

Communities facing the largest impact of food insecurtiy according to Leon County include the FAMU area with 66 percent of their neighborhood being food insecure, the Bond Community at 60 percent, Outter Griffin Heights at 54 percent, and Frenchtown at 50 percent.

Last month, Leon County Commissioners passed measures during their budget workshop to help organizations fight food insecurity on the community level, including giving $60,000 to Second Harvest to purchase a truck for their mobile food pantry program.

Throughout the pandemic, Leon County used $5 million dollars working with Second Harvest to give out over 4 million meals to families.

With boots on the ground working with organizations like Good News Outreach to feed his community, Peter Cowdrey uses some of his free time to deliver food to those in need. He said communities across Tallahassee really do need the help.

“With prices going up for gas, for everything, for food, for shelter, for rent, people are being squeezed out right onto the street,” said Cowdrey.

Cowdrey added he’s encouraged by those stepping up and would like to see even more help.

“People must step up, individuals and groups. Any group, any Church group,” said Cowdrey.