IMMOKALEE, Fla. — As early as five in the morning, people in Immokalee get in line for a food distribution outside Limitless Church .
St. Matthew's House runs the weekly event and knows the need families have for access to fresh food in the area. They say during the summer that need increases.
Immokalee mother of three Sonia Nunez says, "Hoy en día para el salario que hay y las cosas están muy caras ya, pues realmente que vestimos y comimos lo que dan y pues ropita usada también."(Nowadays, for the salary that there is things are very expensive already, we really dress and eat what they give us and wear used clothes also.)
When she heard her number called, she got in line for her groceries.
Sonia can't work because she needs to stay home with her young children. She says her husband's income isn't enough to buy nutritious food for them.
At the distribution, she can get vegetables, meat, fruit, bread, milk, eggs and even diapers for her growing kids. St. Matthew's House says it's $120 worth of groceries.
It's difficult when her daughter isn't in school, and she has more meals at home.
"Cuando se van a la escuela, pues es menitos porque pues nada me da su desayuno y ya en la tarde cuando llegue. La escuela, pues ahí también les dan sus alimentos," Nunez says. ( When they go to school, we need less because I just give them breakfast, and, in the afternoon when they come back, I feed them. At school, they are given food there.)
St. Matthew's House Engagement Coordiantor Michelle Mendoza says in the summer, turnout increases.
"Our numbers have spiked. We serve anywhere between 240 and ups of 325 families," Mendoza says.
Last winter, the state opted out of the Summer EBT Programwhich gave low income families $120 to buy food for their children while out of school since they didn't want to pay millions in administration costs.
In an area considered a food desert, with 23% of people living below the poverty line, St. Matthew's House stepped in.
Find previous reporting on Immokalee and food deserts here.
Mendoza says, "The state kind of failed Florida, not helping with the food program, so we're kind of doing the best we can...They took the food out of the children's mouths so that's where we try and fill the void."
The federal program would've provided Florida with $248 million to feed 2 million kids across the state to fight child hunger including Nunez's three children.
Nunez says, "Voy a seguir viniendo nada más que pues ahora sí que nos ponemos más más listos y otro poquito más temprano." (I'm going to keep coming just because now we are gonna be ready and a little bit earlier.)
St. Matthew's House hosts the distribution every Wednesday morning at 9:30.
