TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – More than 100 people got free groceries and health resources Monday as part of Empowerment Week through the Tallahassee Urban League.
“This whole week is about empowering our communities and changing lives, serving our citizens and making a difference,” President and CEO Curtis Taylor said.
The organization has events planned each day this week, leading up to Juneteenth on Friday.
The community resource fair on Monday allowed people to speak with different human services organizations and get health screenings before taking home free food.
“I don’t receive food stamps, but I’m on a fixed income,” Betty Johnson said. “Rent is extremely high, so the food comes in handy. It helps a lot. It really does.”
Johnson said it can be difficult to keep up with the price of groceries on a fixed income, so she was grateful to get fresh meat and non-perishable items at no cost.
Delerene Ray also attended the resource fair. She is retired and called the event “a blessing” for the entire community.
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“A lot of people don’t have transportation, and I see a lot of people walking here, so it’s a blessing,” Ray said.
Taylor said Frenchtown is considered a food desert. “That means we do not have any grocery stores here, but we need fresh food, fresh vegetables, fresh meat for our people,” he said.
He acknowledged that many working families still struggle to put food on the table.
“We have so many of our low-income families living paycheck-to-paycheck,” Taylor said. “They have a tight budget. I mean a really, really tight budget and they cannot afford it.”
Another challenge in the Frenchtown community, according to Taylor, is healthcare.
“So many of our people do not have health insurance, and so many of our people don’t get regular check-ups,” he said.
In response, vendors were available to help residents get affordable health insurance plans. “It’s important that we continue to provide these needed services to our citizens.”
The next event for Empowerment Week is a job fair. It’s at the Tallahassee Urban League building on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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