Submitted by St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church:
The line went throughout the parking lot and to the street last week, as 294 families recently came to the St. Rose of Lima Pantry seeking help.
Working with the Osceola County Health Department, St. Rose volunteers developed protective measures against COVID-19. Through drive by pickup, wearing gloves and masks, they dramatically reduced contact points that might spread the virus, and delivered food to families, a 57 percent increase increase from pre-pandemic numbers. Osceola County government volunteers and District 3 Commissioner Brandon Arrington arrived to add their help and $1,800 for food. They plan to continue that help.
As the economic effects of the pandemic continue, the need will escalate. A total of 16.5 million applied for unemployment benefits in the last three weeks of March, pushing the unemployment rate over 10 percent. When people lose their jobs, food is threatened first and Poinciana and Kissimmee are often disproportionately affected. The St. Rose Pantry was founded during the Great Recession when the same communities were hard hit and food insecurity became widespread. Twelve years later, the pantry team is organized and ready to assist Poinciana or Kissimmee residents who have suffered economically from the pandemic. St. Rose is a member of Second Harvest of Central Florida and receives USDA distributions. Large amounts of food is purchased from Second Harvest at a dramatically reduced cost and local partners like Publix, Aldi’s, Panera, and others donate food each week.
