{"id":300101,"date":"2026-06-08T16:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/300101\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T16:39:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:39:12","slug":"rising-food-insecurity-strains-south-florida-food-banks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/300101\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising food insecurity strains South Florida food banks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

A community member carries food at Curley\u2019s House Food Bank in Miami on Thursday, June 4, 2026.<\/p>\n

Photo by Marra X. Finkelstein<\/p>\n

mfinkelstein@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n

The lines outside Curley\u2019s House Hope Relief Food Bank in Allapattah have never been longer.<\/p>\n

After 30 years of feeding Miami residents in need, Lavern Spicer, founder and executive director for Curley\u2019s House, says demand for food assistance has surged as rising costs leave more residents struggling to make ends meet, putting unprecedented pressure on the pantry\u2019s resources.<\/p>\n

This year, \u201cwe\u2019ve seen about a 60% increase in people showing up,\u201d Spicer said. \u201cIt\u2019s overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n

The food bank, which distributes groceries every Tuesday and Thursday, has seen a steady influx of first-time visitors in recent months. Spicer said each week brings more new faces.<\/p>\n

\"Volunteers Volunteers Dorothy Blunt, left, and Kamausi Reynolds, right, push carts loaded with food to be distributed at Curley’s House Food Bank in Miami on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Photo by Marra X. Finkelstein mfinkelstein@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

A recent poll by No Kid Hungry, a nonprofit that aims to end childhood hunger in the U.S., found that rising food costs are taking a significant toll on Florida families. The survey found that 72% of Floridians say their financial situation has been negatively affected by the cost of food, while 60% report having to make difficult choices between paying for groceries and covering other essentials, such as healthcare, gas and housing.<\/p>\n

The food bank has a team of four employees and about 20 volunteers who work to sort and distribute food to hundreds of people each week. On some distribution days, Spicer says, as many as 500 people might pass through the pantry\u2019s doors seeking help.<\/p>\n

And as demand continues to climb, Spicer worries about keeping up with the growing need. But she says turning people away is not an option.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody that comes here is gonna get something,\u201d Spicer said. \u201cWe have had people show up at our door with just their little kid in Pampers with no clothing, but we would go and buy them some clothes at the Family Dollar and make sure that child got something to wear. That\u2019s what type of organization we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jacolbia Jacolbia McGinnis stands in front of Curley’s House Food Bank in Miami on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Photo by Marra X. Finkelstein mfinkelstein@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

On Thursday, 36-year-old Jacolbia McGinnis stood outside Curley\u2019s at 6025 NW Sixth St., where volunteers had organized two separate lines.<\/p>\n

One was reserved for seniors and people with disabilities, who received pre-packaged boxes containing that day\u2019s food offerings before being given the opportunity to select additional items if needed. McGinnis joined the second line, designated for all other visitors. There, people moved through carts stocked with groceries and selected the items they wanted.<\/p>\n

Spicer said there is no limit on how much food a person can take, a policy intended to ensure everyone leaves with enough to meet their needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a blessing to have it so conveniently located,\u201d McGinnis said. \u201cI just didn\u2019t know about it at first because I wasn\u2019t going through hardship. So I\u2019m just glad that I was able to tap into the local resources and find this place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Community Community members stand in line to receive food at Curley’s House Food Bank in Miami on Thursday, June 4, 2026. In front are those with limited mobility, who are served first. Photo by Marra X. Finkelstein mfinkelstein@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

McGinnis has been going to the food bank since January. She suffers from pernicious anemia, an autoimmune disorder that prevents her body from properly absorbing nutrients such as vitamin B-12, folic acid and iron.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking in retail or doing any labor job, it requires you to stand up, it requires you to lift things, and I cannot do my job to the full capacity because of that,\u201d said McGinnis, who previously worked at Bath & Body Works. \u201cI\u2019m always tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

The condition has made it difficult to maintain steady employment.<\/p>\n

While she does receive money for food stamps, she says rising food prices have forced her to change the way she shops for groceries. One of the biggest changes has been where she shops.<\/p>\n

She said she once would buy groceries at Winn-Dixie but now favors discount retailers such as Aldi, where she can stretch her budget further and find lower-priced items.<\/p>\n

\"Sarah Sarah Philippe, 8, carries food to be distributed at Curley’s House Food Bank in Miami on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Sarah volunteered for the first time, alongside her longtime volunteer grandmother and brother. Photo by Marra X. Finkelstein mfinkelstein@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Just a little over a mile from Curley\u2019s House, another food pantry at 4300 NW 12th Ave. was opening its doors to people in need.<\/p>\n

The Village (FREE)DGE has been serving the community since 2020, providing food assistance and other support services to residents facing food insecurity. Like Curley\u2019s House, the pantry has seen more families across the area struggle to afford groceries amid rising prices.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here trying to bridge the gap for families,\u201d says founder and owner Sherina Jones. \u201cBut it\u2019s getting harder to do that as prices increase.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pantry distributes one bag per person, each filled with a variety of food items. Jones said some families now bring their children with them in order to receive additional bags.<\/p>\n

\"Volunteers Volunteers Elma Foster, left, and Mary Beasley work alongside a food bank recipient at Curley\u2019s House Food Bank in Miami on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Photo by Marra X. Finkelstein mfinkelstein@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Even with roughly $300,000 currently available to support its operations, Spicer said Curley\u2019s food bank\u2019s funds are only expected to last through September if demand continues at its current pace.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sad part about it is we\u2019re talking about the United States, one of the richest countries on earth,\u201d said Spicer. \u201cWhy we can\u2019t take care of our seniors? Why we can\u2019t take care of our veterans? That\u2019s why we are here to help them, but we need help ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A community member carries food at Curley\u2019s House Food Bank in Miami on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Photo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300102,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-300101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300101\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}