In November, BHH fed 3,172 families, distributed 6,265 pantry bags at five Palm Beach County locations, provided 6,056 hot lunches, and delivered 5,747 weekend meal boxes to 12 local schools.
The organization is hopeful that community food drives during the holiday season will get Boca Helping Hands through the end of the year. Still, there are concerns about what 2022 will bring with the economy’s instability.
“Surging food prices and supply chain issues are affecting all areas of our hunger relief programs. We’re purchasing food to subsidize our decreased inventory, and wholesale prices have increased,” said Greg Hazle, Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands. “With increased prices, our client’s dollar stretches less at the grocery store, so they have to rely on us more. That means Boca Helping Hands has to buy more food at a higher cost. In addition, increased food costs and limited availability means families may get less than what they typically would if supplies were stable.”
Although the demand for food had stabilized since the height of the pandemic, BHH is now bracing itself for an increased need due to impending economic conditions. Supply chain issues, lower inventory, and labor shortages have impacted the organization’s hunger relief programs across the board.
Its weekend meal program for schoolchildren, BHH Backpacks, provides six meals and three snacks in a box to more than 1,400 school children each week from 12 schools in Palm Beach County. The organization purchases the food items to ensure that every box will provide the same items and the recommended calories each student needs.
“With the current issues, we’ve had difficulty sourcing staple items within each box,” said Bill Harper, Director of Food and Warehouse Operations.
The community can help by hosting food drives at their schools, places of worship, or workplaces. Boca Helping Hands also needs volunteers to help with its hunger-relief efforts in its warehouse and kitchen. Unfortunately, the organization’s number of volunteers hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, so BHH has had to meet the increased demand with fewer volunteers. The community can also help by donating to Boca Helping Hands’ Annual Matching Campaign, with contributions being matched dollar for dollar up to $450,000.
To donate, visit BocaHelpingHands.org/amc-donation. To volunteer, visit BocaHelpingHands.org/volunteer. To host a food drive and download a list of most needed items, visit BocaHelpingHands.org/FoodDrives.
