One local food pantry is facing two critical issues: Hurricane season approaches and the number of people in need of food assistance is rising.
It’s in the high 80s already at 11 a.m., and 100 or so people are filing into the Gladiolus Food Pantry in Fort Myers, waiting under an awning and called to their turn by a number-and-color system.
“Fifteen yellow! Quince amarillos!” calls a volunteer.
Inside, the pantry resembles a grocery store, except that volunteers help shoppers who qualify by ZIP code choose produce, meat, dairy, canned goods and bread and bag the items. It’s a great day here, says Miriam Ortiz, founder and director.
“It’s fantastic! We have a lot of people we’re helping. You know, all the people coming in today so we’re glad we have a lot of meat, vegetables, fruits, you name it.”
Pantry client Teresa Varner explains how it helps.
“This helps out a lot. I’m the only one that’s working right now. It’s nice to come here and pick out the food that we can pick out. It’s just very, very nice not to just, you know, drive the car up to somewhere and then just give you bags and then get multiple of everything. So it’s nice to be able to pick and choose what we want.
Gratitude is everywhere on this day, a Wednesday, when the pantry is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. But fixes to the building and grounds are needed to make it safe during storms and able to continue feeding over 2,000 people a month. Local consult and civil engineer Paul Shahriari explains.
“Doing a site assessment kind of yielded the fact that her windows need protecting. The doors are prone to flooding. And the air conditioning unit for the main … part of that food pantry is basically down on the ground. And if any flooding happens in that neighbhorhood, you know, it’s basically only about three inches off of the dirt, then it definitely will take that unit out of commission.”
Additional work is needed to make the grounds on which the building sits less vulnerable to pooling water as well.
Ortiz was a bit surprised at Shahriari’s assessment.
“In my mind, I thought everything was done. But then when he comes and pointed out … he was right, because I have to have the air conditioner up and the windows, you know, to have that hurricane proof, too. And the doors.”
Ortiz is hoping to secure donations to do the work.
Rising grocery prices aren’t helping matters. In fact, they make this population even more vulnerable as hurricane season approaches.
Just since January, the number of meals served has risen considerably, from 535 that month to nearly 800 each in February and March and 1,016 in April.
“Well, we always have people coming but right now, with the prices going so high,” Oritz says, “More people are using the service of the food pantry, and that is great, but at the same time, we need to be prepared.”