TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) \u2013 More than 100 people got free groceries and health resources Monday as part of Empowerment Week through the Tallahassee Urban League. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis whole week is about empowering our communities and changing lives, serving our citizens and making a difference,\u201d President and CEO Curtis Taylor said. <\/p>\n
The organization has events planned each day this week, leading up to Juneteenth on Friday. <\/p>\n
The community resource fair on Monday allowed people to speak with different human services organizations and get health screenings before taking home free food. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t receive food stamps, but I\u2019m on a fixed income,\u201d Betty Johnson said. \u201cRent is extremely high, so the food comes in handy. It helps a lot. It really does.\u201d <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
Delerene Ray also attended the resource fair. She is retired and called the event \u201ca blessing\u201d for the entire community. <\/p>\n
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\u201cA lot of people don\u2019t have transportation, and I see a lot of people walking here, so it\u2019s a blessing,\u201d Ray said. <\/p>\n
Taylor said Frenchtown is considered a food desert. \u201cThat means we do not have any grocery stores here, but we need fresh food, fresh vegetables, fresh meat for our people,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
He acknowledged that many working families still struggle to put food on the table. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have so many of our low-income families living paycheck-to-paycheck,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cThey have a tight budget. I mean a really, really tight budget and they cannot afford it.\u201d <\/p>\n
Another challenge in the Frenchtown community, according to Taylor, is healthcare. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo many of our people do not have health insurance, and so many of our people don\u2019t get regular check-ups,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
In response, vendors were available to help residents get affordable health insurance plans. \u201cIt\u2019s important that we continue to provide these needed services to our citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next event for Empowerment Week is a job fair. It\u2019s at the Tallahassee Urban League building on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.<\/p>\n
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