State of Hunger in Palm Beach County Zoom Panel Discussion

One in seven residents in Palm Beach County struggle every day with hunger. The Palm Beach County Food Bank will discuss the “State of Hunger in Palm Beach County” in a free Zoom panel discussion with community leaders for its first Town Hall discussion on Wednesday, September 30, at 12 p.m.

The panel will include county administrator Verdenia Baker, Julie Kreafle, VP of Hunger Relief at the United Way of Palm Beach County, Gibbie Nauman, Development Director for CROS Ministries, Stephen Shelley, president and CEO of Farm Share, and Palm Beach County Food Bank interim CEO and board member Jim Greco.

Marti LaTour, Board Chair for the Palm Beach County Food Bank, will moderate the panel. Discussion will include how the food bank and other non-profits that focus on hunger relief have responded to the pandemic, as well as how these organizations plan to pivot going forward as federal programs expire. The panel will conclude with a Q&A session from those in attendance. 

“It’s hard to imagine that prior to COVID-19 we were distributing approximately 5 million pounds of food annually and now we are processing as much as several million pounds a month,” said Greco. “We have expanded our distribution to help meet the growing needs of the community and are continuously eclipsing previous months in record high volume. The need is great and forecasts indicate it will continue to persist. Now more than ever we need the public’s generosity and support to maintain the momentum.”

Before COVID-19, the Palm Beach County Food Bank provided access to nutritious food for more than 100,000 hungry Palm Beach County residents every month. Now, that demand has more than doubled as more people are left without jobs and income. Last year the Food Bank sourced over 10 million pounds of food annually from grocery stores, restaurants, food distributors, wholesalers and other sources, and provided it to almost 200 local community partners.

Advance registration is required to attend the free Town Hall discussion. To register for “State ofHunger in Palm Beach County” or for more information on the Palm Beach County Food Bank, please visit pbcfoodbank.org.