Starting May 21, individuals can make an appointment between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at Advent Lantana Church (2116 Lantana Rd, Lake Worth, FL 33462) to get registered for federal and state benefits.
“Our partnership with Advent Lantana has been a critical factor in the success we have had so far in serving the greater Lantana/Lake Worth community,” said Greg Hazle, Boca Helping Hands Executive Director. “Their strong commitment to ministering to their neighbors is in complete alignment with the mission of BHH.”
This service is being added due to the growing need within the community for hunger relief assistance. The goal is to help individuals who may not have access to a computer or need assistance navigating the intricate application process. The Palm Beach County Food Bank’s Benefits Outreach Program is one of only seven organizations in Florida that provides the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) required federal food relief interview. Gustavo Amador, a Palm Beach County Food Bank benefits specialist, and his team will be assisting clients at Advent Lantana in both English and Spanish.
“Many of our partner sites on the east side of Lake Worth and Lantana closed their doors to in-person services due to COVID-19,” Amador said. “Our new partnership with Boca Helping Hands at Advent Lantana will help alleviate the demand for SNAP assistance for many low-income families in this area who struggle every day to put food on their table.”
This initiative is part of Boca Helping Hands’ extended strategic plan to help more people across Palm Beach County over the next three years.
“As we continue to expand our services, both in the scope of programs and reaching more areas of the county, we want to make sure we’re meeting the needs of the individuals we serve,” said Trina Chin Cheong, Boca Helping Hands Director of Programs. “Providing this type of assistance is going to be one of the many services and programs BHH plans to offer in the Lantana area.”
Advent Lantana is one of five distribution locations for the Boca Helping Hands Pantry Bag Program, with pantry bags of groceries being distributed every Saturday from 1-3 p.m. since it opened last June. In its first month of operation, BHH distributed 311 pantry bags at Advent Lantana; last month, that number had grown to 546 pantry bags. Since June 2020, BHH has distributed 4,169 pantry bags to 812 unique families at this location.
For more information on Pantry Bag Program hours and locations, please visit bocahelpinghands.org/pantrybagprogram. To make an appointment to register for benefits on Fridays starting May 21 at Advent Lantana, call Gustavo Amador at 561-329-5931.
